No Longer Alone
by pervertmonster
Summary: Takes place in a City Setting. Luffy had always been surrounded by friends, but he carried a hole in his heart. But now, as he spends time with a certain woman, he has found that hole slowly closing. This story is about the experiences the two share, and how their relationship continues to develop. Another LuRo story by, yours truly, pervertmonster!
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everyone! Hope you enjoy the story!**

**Alright, first things first, the summary lies...! Well, not that it lies, but I say that because I suck at summaries. The story begins at a point where the two are actually romantically involved, but whether or not I want to use flashbacks is to be determined. Personally, I don't use flashbacks, but I'm not inclined against them. **

**Feel free to leave any thoughts on the chapter. This is actually the story I had referenced a long time ago in, I think, the first chapter of one of my other stories, but I'm only now finishing it up. That's right. It took me 6 months to even post this chapter online. Things have changed since then, and I've added new ideas and stuffs to it, but I hope that it manages to entertain at least a little!**

**Also, another LuRo story. How surprising. Reasons why? Simply, because I like it, and there's not enough stories in my opinion, but whatevs. I'll accept any pairing, but if I do something, it'll be influenced by all my biases. **

**I do not own One Piece as that belongs to Eiichiro Oda, Toei, and whoever else it might belong to! **

* * *

Closing the mirror, Luffy looked once again at his reflection.

The scar under his eye that he had inflicted upon himself stood out on his face. He had been under the impression that one had to show how much pain they could take to join Shanks' gang, so he had taken a knife and stabbed himself to show how brave he was.

That was 10 years ago. Shanks and his friends had all panicked back then, and thinking about their faces that day made Luffy laugh.

Back then, he had been so innocent. He had been naïve to think that was what it took to join Shanks' gang, but now he was strong enough to deal with reality.

The truth was harsher than he had expected, but Luffy had done it. He had done what Shanks' had asked for with a heavy heart, but he had done it. The red haired man had sat with him as he cried into his shoulder.

That was still 10 years ago. It was a long time ago, but the memories were still vivid in Luffy's mind.

So much had happened since then...he had gained his own crew, to help with the cleanings of course, and had even taken out rival bosses that had threatened to interrupt Shanks' and his family.

His black hair was a bit long. Luckily, his girlfriend cut his hair. Styling it wasn't an issue as she stated that he looked "cute" with his unkempt hair.

Peering at his reflection to see if anything was astray, he noticed that he still had a piece of food stuck between his teeth.

It was in one of those spots that were tough to reach. Almost all the way in the back.

Stretching his cheek as far as he could, he struggled to get the food particle. He had big hands, even if he wasn't that tall, and they had run out of floss the previous day.

Hoping he would remember later that he needed to pick up floss, Luffy left the bathroom and headed for the kitchen.

Maybe Shanks would have something for him to do today? It was great that his boss was one of his best friends as the red headed leader always had something for him.

Entering the kitchen, Luffy took out some leftovers from last night. He couldn't do much other than cook meat, but she would handle the other things. Without her, he probably would have been malnourished.

One of his crew, Sanji, was a master chef-in-training. The man had always thanked him for the compliments, but despite the praise he would give him, Sanji would never consider himself a master. He said he had a long way to go before he could even reach that level as he worked part time at his master's restaurant, and Luffy would gladly help his friend by eating anything he made.

After finishing, Luffy was going to leave, but he saw a bag with a note attached to it. He peered into the bag to see some fruit and took the note off to read it.

"I know you would probably be a little hungry after waking up, so here's a little snack for you during the day. I'm going to be a little late coming home, but I'll be sure to think of something to do for your forgiveness ~" The note had some little hearts on it, but it made his heart flutter to think of what she would do later.

Picking the bag up, he took what looked to be an apple out and started to eat.

Today was already shaping up to be a great day today.

* * *

"Hey, Luffy! Where were you?!"

"Oh! Nami! What's new today?"

The orange haired woman noticed the bag in her boss's hands, but pulled him by the ear nevertheless. His pained whining was music to her ears as she practically dragged him inside.

Nami was the brains of his crew. She would be the one that would be given orders and she would relay them to the rest. Also, if you ever wanted to go somewhere, or if you wanted money, you would go to Nami. Directions were cheap, but loans had 300% interest rates, so it was rare if anyone even asked her for change.

"We have an assignment! It's really important that we get on it, right away!"

"Ah! Ouch! Okay! Just...stop pulling already!" She obliged and watched as he rubbed his ear in pain.

The building they had been assigned to meet at for debriefings was a normal apartment complex. It wasn't as good as the one Luffy had, but all the occupants were members of Shanks' group, aside for the one room they had been given.

Him and his crew had affectionately called it, "The Going Merry", due to how happy the place made them and it was a little influenced by their line of work.

Walking inside, Luffy saw that some people were missing.

"Hey, where's Sanji? And Usopp?"

Only Zoro was in the room. He snored loudly on the couch and his swords were nearby.

It was slightly archaic, that the man would use swords, but he said that he liked using them. Zoro used to go around to dojos, taking their signs if he beat everyone inside. What little past he had shared with the group indicated that he had encountered one dojo that had defeated him, but he didn't say much more about it.

"Sanji is working at his restaurant right now, and Usopp is at school."

Sanji worked at a restaurant named the "Baratie". It was a high end restaurant at the edge of town that the crew went to occasionally. Most of the time, it had fewer customers than it deserved, but everyone there preferred the anonymity. Plus, they would feed you, no matter what affiliation you were, but only if you didn't fight in the building or outside.

Usopp was the only one that went to school amongst the group. Unlike the others, he claimed that he wanted to better himself through education, but everyone in the group knew he only went to school to see Kaya, one of the nobles that attended his school. Nobles rarely ever put themselves at the levels of "commoners", but Kaya was different, and was very kind.

Luffy never went to school and was mostly home schooled by his brother before he left to find a gang of his own. Zoro was a orphan and was never given the opportunity to attend school.

Nami said it was too expensive and Sanji didn't need to go to school anymore, seeing as how he worked at the Baratie.

Of course, none of them ever needed money. Shanks had seen to it that they were well provided for since they did so much work for him.

"So, what's today's adventure!" Luffy exclaimed as he sat down next to Zoro, bag still in hand.

Zoro snorted in his sleep due to the slight disruption, but stayed unconscious.

"We're delivering this." Nami put a sack onto the table, "I don't really understand what they are, but they look like fruits."

'Huh? Fruits?' Looking into his own bag, he couldn't believe the coincidence.

"Um...who are we delivering it to and what's in it?" Luffy and looked to Nami, hoping for more answers.

"Some guy named Crocus who the boss knows." By "boss" she meant Shanks, "Apparently, the boss wants to reward this Crocus with this." Their swordsman started snoring even louder than before, which began to annoy her.

"Wake up!"

Nami kicked Zoro in the shins and the man rose with a scream.

"Ouch! You bitch...! What was that for?!"

"Luffy's here! It's time to go!"

Zoro looked over and noticed his leader.

"Oh? Hi."

"Yo."

"Alright! Let's go earn me that paycheck!" Nami shoved the bag into Zoro's arms excitedly and marched towards the door. Zoro grunted at the sudden weight that he had been given, but matched her pace.

"Hey! Luffy! You coming or what?!"

"Ah! On my way!"

* * *

The trip wasn't as eventful as the two men would have hoped it to be. Usually by now, some idiot would ambush them and-

"Give your valuables to me, Buggy, flashily! Or else you'll taste the powerful "Buggy Ball"! Gyahahahaha!"

Luffy, Zoro, and Nami stared at the clown that stood in their path. With him, he had his whole crew behind him.

Buggy was a known troublemaker to them, but they couldn't do much about it. Shanks had said that Buggy was like a brother to him.

An annoying, violent thief, but a brother nonetheless.

"Buggy, you incompetent, just leave us alone! Shanks wanted to give this as payment to one of his-"

" 'Oh, Buggy! Stop! Shanks wanted to use this and-' bah! Just shut up and drop the goods!"

Nami huffed and prepared to send the two men his way so they could demolish him.

"Go Richie! Steal!"

Before they could respond in any way, a large animal ran around the corner and rushed past the three, taking both bags away from them.

"Gah! Luffy, Zoro! Go after it!" Nami ordered the two as she started chasing it.

Taking off screaming at the large dog, Luffy and Zoro followed, hoping that the fruits wouldn't be damaged.

* * *

Chasing the animal named Richie was really hard work. Dodging cars, people, Buggy's gang...

The dog seemed really fast, but not as fast as Zoro. He leapt onto the animal, pushing it to the ground, but the owner of Richie rushed by, taking the bags away.

"What the hell?! This is a goddamn lion!" It roared at Zoro, but with one hit, it started to whimper.

"Hey! Don't hurt my poor Richie!"

"You bastard...! Give that back!"

The owner was about to insult the swordsman, but Nami was already upon him, bringing her staff down on his head harshly.

He screamed as he hit the ground, but before Nami could retrieve the bags, someone swung a sword at her, cutting her and causing her to step back.

"Captain Buggy gets what he wants, little girl! Stay out of the way!" He shouted as he started running with the bags.

"Nami! Are you alright!?" Luffy caught up, pausing to see if his friend had been badly wounded.

"I'm fine! Who would have thought there would be a person as crazy as Zoro..." She ignored his annoyed retort, "Anyway, I'll round the corner to block them off. Luffy, you chase him, okay?"

"Okay! Leave it to me!" The man sprinted after the man, who had already rounded the corner into an alleyway.

* * *

"Gr...it's troublesome carrying two bags." The man grumbled, dumping the contents of one into the other, "There...much better!"

"Hey, prick!"

In his surprise, the man drew his sword, accidentally cutting a slit in the bag, in which two fruits fell through.

He wanted to curse, but Luffy was already at him, about to drive a fist into him. He tried to block with the sword, but Luffy only feinted, swinging his other fist and catching the man in the side of his head.

"You fool!" The swordsman exclaimed as he fell to the ground, making sure that more fruit wouldn't fall, "Don't you realize what it means to defy Bugg-?!"

"You shouldn't have cut Nami. Buggy or not, nobody hurts my family!"

Looking back up at Luffy, the man froze in fear. The expression on his face was more terrifying than even Buggy's.

Cocking a fist back, Luffy glared fiercely at the man kneeling at his feet.

"Hold it right there, bastard!"

Back stepping, the enraged man avoided the knives of Buggy, who now stood in front of his subordinate.

"Quickly! Take that back to the base! I'll hold this guy off!"

"Cap-Captain!" Shaking, the man got up to his feet and started running away.

"Buggy...damn it. Why does Shanks consider you to be a brother?" Sneering, Luffy clenched his fists, preparing to fight the clown.

"Shut it! That man is no brother of mine! Doing whatever the hell he wants...shit! It pisses me off!" The clown raged before pointing all the knives he held between his fingers at Luffy, "Starting with you, I'll show that red-headed bastard that he can't boss me around!"

Lunging towards Luffy, Buggy prepared to eviscerate the young man.

Until the younger man had somehow disappeared from sight.

"W-What?!" Stopping, Buggy didn't realize the mistake he had made before it was too late. His world went dark after a violent blow to his head sent him to the ground.

"Tch...I really should do worse to you, but Shanks would be sad." Picking up one of the fruits, Luffy's stomach grumbled.

He looked at the fruit in his hand before shrugging. He wasn't very informed about fruits, so some weird purple colored fruit was alright, wasn't it?

As soon as he took a bite, he almost spat it out. The taste was beyond terrible! Rotting flesh, something he had actually smelled, would probably taste better than this! But...

She did get fruit for him. Luffy took one disgusted look at the fruit before devouring it as fast as he could. It would be insulting if he didn't finish it.

Swallowing the last piece was difficult, but his head suddenly started to hurt. In the corner of his vision, he could see Buggy picking up the other fruit before running off.

"...Damn...don't touch that...you bas-" Luffy tried to finish, but his body felt weak. He struggled to maintain consciousness even as Buggy started running away, but his head hit the concrete and he passed out.

* * *

The sky was dark when he opened his eyes. Lights from the street hurt his eyes as he managed to get up.

His entire body felt as though it was on fire. Every nerve was screaming as he dragged his feet to help him get to the entrance.

Was she waiting for him at home? What about Nami and Zoro? Were they alright?

It was too painful to really do anything, so he decided that the best thing to do was to go home. There was nothing he could do at the moment, and taking a closer look at the street, he saw that he was closer to his apartment than to the Going Merry.

Stumbling, he managed to catch the eye of a few people who walked the streets as this time of night. His body really hurt, but he needed to get home so he could rest.

* * *

The stairs sucked, and his hand wouldn't stop shaking when he tried to unlock the door which was annoying.

Entering his home, he collapsed onto the sofa. Luffy didn't see any shoes at the door, so he was alone at the moment. Thinking about that, he considered that to be lucky. He wouldn't want to be seen like this anyway.

Resting would be a good idea, so he let himself fall asleep, hoping that when he woke up, he would be better.

* * *

It was a late night, and her body did feel exhausted, but she was determined to make it up to Luffy. Usually, she would greet him in the morning before work, but as of late, someone had attempted to break into the security systems and apparently she was the only one capable enough to stop the invasion.

Being one of the most intelligent people did prove to be useful, but too many people expected too much of her at times.

"I'm home!" She called as she entered their apartment. A small smile formed on her face as she remembered the day they had both moved in.

The memories of such a day would never be forgotten.

His shoes had been at the door, but she was surprised when she didn't receive an answer. Normally, he would be rushing to the door, arms wide open and eyes gleaming with excitement, but nothing happened.

He should have been rushing to the door, but perhaps he was too embarrassed? The thought brought another smile to her face. If he knew what she had in store for him, he would have probably been too embarrassed.

"Luffy? Are you here?" Strolling in to the kitchen, she didn't find him there. Further investigation of the fridge indicated that he did eat some, but only the leftovers were gone.

She decided to check the front room next. The bag of fruit she had left before going to work was something that she hoped that he had taken. The man really didn't eat anything other than meat, so leaving something like it should have sufficed.

Instead of finding the bag, she found him on the couch.

"Luffy!" Noticing his condition, she rushed over to him, "What's wrong?! Are you al-?!"

As she touched her skin, she yelped in pain and looked at what had caused it.

A scrape had formed on her hand from touching his skin.

"W-What is this?" Touching Luffy again, she noticed that his skin had become rougher, and it stuck to her hand like a tire would.

He grumbled as he was roused from his slumber, opening his eyes slowly to see who it was.

"R...Robin...?"

His voice was rougher and pained.

She hugged his head, and winced with displeasure as his hair shared the same quality of his skin.

"It's alright, Luffy. I'm right here."

* * *

**Hope you all enjoyed!  
**

**During the end, I was thinking how funny it might be if I had done a completely different woman than Robin, and explained I was going to slowly ease her into the story, but then I thought, "Build it up like this, have LuRo in the summary, and Luffy and Robin as the characters of this story? I can't do that.".**

**Also, romance stuff is something I'm not too good at, but maybe this'll be good practice. Anyone telling me that maybe real life romance would be a better experience will be ignored ~**

**And about lemons/limes/whatever they're called - I never do that sort of thing. Sorry, but it's against my writing. I mean, I may reference the act (like I did above) and I may even allude to acts of extreme violence (might have to change a few things in other fics...) , rape (not in this story ever) , sexual activites, etc. , I will never actually put it in. Not only lack of experience, but surely you can use your imagination or something to fill in those blanks. **

**Anyways, long end note is long. I'll probably post a chapter for a "Different Take" when I get into the mood, and when I finish thinking/writing/typing it out.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello again, everyone! Hope you enjoy the chapter!**

**Now, there's a TON of stuff I had to look up, and even then I failed to find certain things. Also, there's internet here! But it's gov't regulated and stuff. And I obviously don't know how servers work, so either pretend it all just works or...whatever! I dunno.**

**Tell me what you think and let me know if I got a few things wrong. I might change it, but I might not notice. Sorry in advance.**

**I do not own One Piece as that belongs to Eiichiro Oda, Toei, and whomever else it belongs to.**

* * *

Behind the blinds shone that ever present, burning star in the sky that they owed their lives to, but to Robin it was merely an annoyance as she woke up with it shining in her eyes.

Last night had been pretty rough, as she had expected, but the situation didn't get any better after realizing that fact. Luffy still had a fever and, not only his skin, but his hair stuck to her skin. Normally, thinking that Luffy's skin and hair were sticking to her would elicit some very nice thoughts, but unfortunately, it felt as though he were made of vulcanized rubber.

She had a few ideas why he was like this, but she needed to check in with a few friends first.

Taking another look at the man, she had to suppress a worried smile.

If he were anyone else, she wouldn't have even bothered, but he had been the first.

Clutching her chest, she made sure that she could move him safely. He felt a lot heavier, and his skin would sometimes rub hers the wrong way, causing another painful rash to form.

He had been the first to worm his way inside her heart, and only he could make her feel so worried about another.

* * *

"You crazy, old witch! How many times must I remind you to NEVER move my chair!?"

"Old?! How dare you! You're some deluded, ancient fool to think that someone like me could be old! I'm only a mere 140 years-!"

"HOLY SHIT! I knew it was bad, but are you sure you don't have some sort of mental illness?!"

"Might I remind you that I'm the ACTUAL doctor here! You're nothing but a leech! Not only do you drain the life out of me, but your methods are so old, I sooner expect you to bleed some poor fool out than actually develop some working medicine!"

Robin, with Luffy firmly affixed around her shoulders, approached the lively little building somewhere within the center of the city. The ones she was about to see were usually overlooked due to their close proximity to the government, but their skills were unrivaled. Well, one of their skills was unrivaled. The other...

Everyone needs someone to relax with, the woman supposed. She used to think that she needed nobody, but now that she had Luffy, she couldn't think of a life without the excitable young man.

Knocking on the door, she heard their quite loud and boisterous being quelled.

"A customer? For me? At this hour?"

"You fool. Who would come all this way to see you?" The sound of footsteps coming closer to the door reached Robin's ears.

"Why, our son of course!" The man laughed inside, "Ehehehe...I wonder how that little brat's doing?"

"If he knows what's good for him, he's busy studying like I-" Opening the door, Robin was met by a lady who appeared far past her prime. Wrinkles adorned her face, though she moved as if she were only 20 years old. She wore clothing most would consider to be on a teenager rather than an older woman.

"Oh? Isn't this a surprise! Hey, you old quack, come see who's here!"

"Excuse me, Dr. Kureha, but I need assistance immediately." Without waiting to be invited inside, Robin brushed past the woman and walked hastily into what appeared to be a consulting room. A man was sitting in a rather posh chair, one that was unsuitable for the room they were in. He also looked quite old, but if Robin remembered correctly, and from hearing their argument from outside, the woman was actually much older than he was.

"Why, isn't it Robin! What do we owe the honor of having one of the-"

He quieted, seeing the man draped over her shoulders and he got up from his chair, motioning her to rest the man on the nearby examination couch.

She set Luffy down on the table and Dr. Kureha walked into the room with a more serious expression on her face. The two doctors said nothing as they examined the young man, but Kureha looked back to Robin.

"What's his name?"

"His name is Lucy."

"...That's a strange name for a man..."

"We do not choose the name we are given."

"Where is he from?"

"He's a marine that joined just recently."

"Really? And how do you know him?"

"He's my beloved."

At those words, the man sputtered, and looked back to Robin in shock.

"Wh-What?!"

"Hiluluk!" Kureha shouted, glaring at the man, "Concentrate on the patient!"

Still in a state of shock, Hiluluk turned back to continue his examination.

"Still..." Kureha looked at Robin with suspicion, "I get the feeling you're not telling me something..."

"I've told you all you needed to know." Robin, her eyes filled with conviction, told the woman, "I fear something has happened to him, and I want to know...if he'll be alright."

The doctor, still staring at Robin, sighed and turned to Luffy, "Alright. Well, I can see you certainly care a lot about him." She snickered, "Who would have thought the "Arms of the Government" would have developed feelings for someone?"

"I'm not aware of that nickname."

"The people who fear you call you that. Young Lady, you've always struck me as cold," She smiled at Robin, "but it's nice to see that you can also experience love."

The doctor saw the small smile that formed on the woman's face and she faced her colleague, who looked grim.

"Kureha...he's..."

"Yeah, I know. Hey, Young Lady, I bet you already know what's happened."

"...I have an idea..."

"It seems as though his skin has turned to rubber..." Hiluluk took a needle out from a drawer and tried to stick it into Luffy's skin.

The needle didn't get far into his skin, and Hiluluk looked unwilling to force it deeper, so he slowly extracted the instrument.

"Is he unconscious?" He pulled a penlight out of a pocket and directed its light into the man's eyes. If Luffy was awake, he certainly wasn't affected by the bright light in his eyes.

"Unresponsive. This is odd. He also has a fever." Kureha put a hand to his head and frowned, "Normally, a temperature like this would kill a man. However, he's breathing alright, if not a little labored."

"How far do you think he's affected? I mean, if he truly has become...rubber, then would his brain be alright? I fear that signals from his brain might be dulled by his body's new properties..."

"Hey, wait!" Robin shouted, raising her voice and startling the two doctors, "What do you mean by that?! Do you think he might become-?!"

"Quiet, Girl!" Kureha yelled back, a little frustrated that the woman had surprised her, "He'll be alright, I think. We're-" She glared at Hiluluk, who shrunk from her gaze, "Merely voicing thoughts. I have a good feeling that he'll be alright, but he might change due to this affliction."

She and Hiluluk finished their examination, finally confirming their diagnosis of the man.

"He's been "cursed"."

Robin's eyes narrowed at the word, and Kureha didn't have to guess why she would.

"Now, I don't think I have to go and tell you what that means. I suppose you knew this, but you just wanted to make sure. Am I correct?" Kureha's piercing gaze scared Hiluluk a little, but Robin didn't even flinch.

"...Yes. I had a feeling that was what it was."

"As far as I can tell, he'll return to normal. At least, somewhat. The curse he has is special. It might affect his body, but over time, he'll get used to it. Until then, he might seem strange, or even a completely different person."

"I see..." Robin muttered, looking at the man who laid on the examination couch. He still seemed unresponsive to the world around him, and his fever still had not died down.

Kureha relaxed her stare, and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry, Robin. He'll be alright. After all, he's got such a beautiful young lady looking after him! If he doesn't get better, than he probably doesn't deserve someone like you!"

Robin, realizing that she was trying to cheer her up, smiled.

"Perhaps, but I feel as though I'm the unworthy one here."

Hiluluk, knowing that he had a few warnings to tell her, coughed, and by doing so he caught their attention.

"I have a small concern, Robin. Now, since he's made of rubber, you might notice that...certain acts may be...a little out of reach."

"Pardon?"

"Well...I mean, considering his circumstances, acts that a young couple in love such as yourselves might partake in...might bring amount a large amount of pain."

"What he means is, no sex."

"Gah! Why do you have to be so direct about that sort of thing?!"

"Why don't you have the balls to just say it!"

"If it's alright with you two, I'll just take my leave." Robin announced as she hefted Luffy back onto her shoulders, already putting one foot through the door as they argued.

They continued, as if they didn't notice her and she left. As she walked away, the two stopped fighting and smiled.

"I'm glad that she's finally found someone that she can rely on." Hiluluk sighed as relief swept through his body. He had been worried at first at the man's condition, but it was common for people to go through an "adjustment" period after they had been cursed.

"Still. Lucy?" Kureha didn't look convinced, "I think that boy is much more than he seems."

She watched Hiluluk pulled out a bottle from one of the cabinets along with a couple of glasses.

That would be for another time. They should celebrate their friend's happiness.

"Make sure that's the right bottle, fool. I don't want to die due to your mistake."

"I think I can tell the difference between a bottle of fine rice wine from ethenol. I don't suck that much."

* * *

After returning home, she made sure that Luffy was comfortable. It was regrettable, but she had to go to work. If she didn't, bad things would happen fast, and she didn't want Luffy to suffer due to her mistakes.

First, she had to clean up. Earlier, she had forgotten about her own needs as Luffy took precedence before her. It didn't take long for her to shower, and dress in a business suit that she always wore.

The trip to her office wasn't bad. She saw a few favorable co-workers and engaged in a little small talk. She wasn't the most social of people, but even she understood the necessity of maintaining good relations with people she didn't hate.

Of course, she had to also avoid a few select people. As an employee to the government, she had brushed against several former superiors as well as people who she had worked with in the past.

Grudges last a long time, and even if she hadn't directly crossed them, her reputation surely turned several people she would have preferred to not piss off against her.

Even worse, she was a woman. Many people had looked down at her due to her gender, despite her more than stellar performance in the field and in her office.

And others looked not down at her, but as if she was an object they could manipulate and even play with. Those unfortunate enough to not be well known were never heard from again, but those who had a higher position than hers were untouchable. The only way she could deal with them was to never confront them.

Finally reaching her office, she closed the door that held no name-tag on it in a secluded part of the Capital Building.

The Capital Building was in the center of the city. It was a very large, and very venerated building that the government used as a central hub for all of their activities. It was a place of trade, diplomacy, politics, and even the military used it to position their men all across the city so they could prevent total anarchy from enveloping the city.

Of course, it was also the place the government could use to hide all of their illegal activities. Things like assassinations, hacking, and subjugation of leaders would take place here.

Her office lights were turned on, and she would have turned them on if not for the shadowed figure sitting in her chair.

"Nico Robin. We have another assignment for you."

Without missing a beat, she took off her jacket and took the seat in front of her desk.

She never liked how her superiors sat in her chair. They always wanted to appear as though they held power over her and could do whatever they wanted.

In some ways, they did.

"You are to assassinate a certain right hand man in the North-West quadrant of the city." He put a folder on the desk, which she opened up. A picture of a man wearing a purple shirt, unbuttoned, and blonde hair smiled up at her.

"When do I-"

"Immediately." He interrupted her. The man held the air of impatience and arrogance as he got up, "We...appreciate your efforts to prevent the enemy from hacking into our servers. Of course, we don't understand completely why they would want the servers when they can't even access our harddrives, but then again, we don't usually question the motives of criminal scum."

Robin knew why they wanted the servers. The government regulated internet access and any communication device within the city, but if outside forces had taken a server, it would have been troublesome to shut the particular server down to prevent anyone from using it to transmit data to anyone else. Thousands, if not, hundreds of thousands of people would have lost access and the government would have another headache to deal with.

The one that tried to break in was very skilled. In fact, it had taken all of Robin's intuition and skill to even discover and repel the intruder. Whoever it was, they were not only intelligent, but they had the gall to even attempt such a thing, even if she was unable to discern the true identity and location of the hacker.

Even if this man didn't respect such courage, she did.

"...Understood. I'll prepare right away-"

"Oh...and just so you truly "understand"." The man leaned in closer and Robin had to resist the urge to destroy the man.

"Don't disappoint us. You don't want to end up like your traitorous mother now, would you?"

"...No, sir. My mother was a disgrace, and I will prove that I am different."

She could see the distrust and scorn in his eyes.

"Then get to it, Nico Robin."

He left in a hurry. She thought that he must have more important matters to attend to than hand out orders to their lap dog.

She got up and walked behind her desk. After unveiling the hidden compartment in the side, she felt disgust well up inside her as she thought of her circumstances.

She had learned early on that they didn't care about her. If she died, they would never acknowledge all that she had done for them. Not that she would want to be accredited with those horrible, and terrible things she had been forced to do.

Robin thought of Luffy and her heart felt lighter, and heavier at the same time. Would he love someone like her if he knew what she really was? A monster? A slave to his enemies?

She hoped he would never find out. Even if they were supposed to be enemies, he was the only one she would stand with, but for now...

The mask she took out of the compartment slid on, and the porcelain froze her skin.

Robin would kill her heart and do as she was told, if only to see that smiling face once again.

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed!**

**Now, you might be thinking that "Some of these characters are OOC" or "OC" or whatever. I can't remember the lingo at the moment, but well, I don't even know how they act as they are. I thought I got close...**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello everyone! Hope you enjoy the new chapter!**

**I'm a little more interested in this story than "A Different Take" at the moment. I think it has something to do with where the story is right now in that one. It's kinda boring to me because I can't really change much about it. On the other hand, this one is just me doing whatever. I'm not even sure if I want it to be heading in this direction, but I'll wait and see how it turns out. **

**As a side note, I really hate Usopp's name. Freaking misspelled it 7 hundred times or something.**

**I do not own One Piece as that belongs to Eiichiro Oda, Toei, and whomever else it belongs to.**

* * *

With hazy eyesight and a fire in his head, Luffy woke up. His memories were blurry, but he thought he had passed out on the sofa, not the bed.

"Robin? Are you here?" His question went unanswered, so he got up and started to search the apartment.

She wasn't in the shower, he had checked twice, and she wasn't in the living room. Being sure to check everywhere, he made sure she wasn't in the fridge. He did take the opportunity to take some left over meat to chew on while walking around the apartment.

"Robin?" Voice muffled by his chewing, he had an epiphany.

"Ah! Maybe she's at work! Hm..." With a little meat sticking out of his mouth, he tried to think, "Where does she work again? I can't remember." Speaking aloud, he took out the cellphone Nami gave him.

On the screen was a custom background that said, "Only press this button."

"Understood!" He exclaimed, pressing the button. It didn't take but a few seconds for him to receive an answer.

"Luffy?! Are you alright?! Where are you?!" Nami's worried tone came through the receiver.

"Hey, Nami? Do you know where Robin is?"

"Robin? Who's that?"

"Gah! I mean, never mind." He caught himself. The man had never told his friends about Robin at her request.

"Luffy...are you alright? We thought you would have taken out Buggy and his henchmen, but we only stopped them from stealing the goods. We-" He could hear Zoro yelling in the background how she had meant "him", "looked for you for hours. This idiot here got lost, so I had to take him back to the Going Merry."

"Yeah! My head started hurting, so I just went home!"

"Where exactly is your home, Luffy?"

"Um..." He had forgotten that he never talked about where he stayed for the night. He used to sleep at the Going Merry, but after he had gotten an apartment with Robin...

"That's a secret!" Luffy decided that was the best answer.

"You idiot! This is no time for jokes!" Nami's voice hurt Luffy's ears, "Since you don't want to tell me, fine! But Shanks is coming over today, so hurry back, you understand?!"

"Yes! Yes! I understand!" He pleaded over the phone. When Nami got angry, it was best to surrender to her, lest you wanted to experience pain.

Nami hung up on him, so he closed the phone.

"Alright! Time to go see Shanks!"

He left the apartment, being sure to lock it like always. And as he left, he turned the wrong way.

* * *

They laughed together as they walked to school. Kaya usually had different classes from him, so they always took the time when they could meet up to talk.

"Is that really true, Usopp? Did you really expect me to believe that you defeated your "enemies" with the power of gas?"

"It is! It is I tell you! Never underestimate the power of a strong-"

"Oh! Hey, Usopp!" Luffy said as he passed the two.

"Luffy! Nice to see you! Now, where was-" Usopp turned his head so fast, Kaya thought he might have been part owl.

"U-U-Um, excuse me Kaya! I just remembered that there's a chest that only I can open that will allow the brave adventures to defeat the evil Demon King!" He ran after the other man who had greeted them, his words getting softer as the distance became greater.

"See you later then, Usopp!" Kaya waved goodbye, hoping they could speak more during lunch.

* * *

"Luffy!" Usopp grabbed his friends shoulders to stop him from walking away and turned him so they were facing each other.

"Hey again, Usopp! Why are you breathing so hard?"

"That's because you didn't answer me the first, second, or third time I told you to stop!" Usopp looked at their surroundings and became frightened.

They were almost in the center of the city! The one place they were never supposed to go! Hell, he only came here because the school was closer to the center, but this was getting too close!

"You were calling me?" Luffy had a questioning look on his face, "Don't you have school right now? Are you on a field trip?"

"No, I'm not on a field trip! What's wrong with you?!"

"I'm heading towards Merry! This doesn't look like the right place though..."

"That's because it's at the edge of the city, Luffy! You have to take a train to get there!" Usopp started to think that this guy was an imposter. Luffy surely knew to take the train to get to the Going Me-

"Eh? But that's boring! I wanted to walk!" His friend, also known as a level-headed young man that was almost always calm, whined loudly. He caught the attention of a few people and Usopp thought that they would even attract the attention of the police.

"C-Come on, Luffy! I'll take you to the Going Merry!" Usopp, pushing Luffy to the nearest train station, was already beyond the point of paranoia.

"Don't you have school?"

"Class is the least of my concerns with you walking into a death trap!"

* * *

"Oh hey, you two! Usopp, how are classes going?" When they entered their usual meeting room, Usopp was surprised to see Shanks reclining on the sofa, and Benn was busy working on a laptop on the kitchen table.

"S-Shanks?! What are you doing here!? Classes?! O-Oh! They're going fine!" Usopp had beads of sweat rolling down his face.

"Dahahahaha! The look on your face is priceless!" Shanks laughed loudly at him, pointing a finger at his face.

"Hey, Shanks!" Luffy smiled widely and waved, which the red-haired man returned.

"Yo, Luffy! Did Buggy really give you a beating?" Shanks smirked, expecting some sort of reaction from Luffy.

"Nah, I just got food poisoning or something." Luffy sat down next to him, still keeping a smile up.

Benn looked over from his laptop, but had to return his gaze to the screen.

"Food poisoning-? Don't tell me you ate one of the fruits I sent to Crocus!" Shanks yelled in surprise.

"Nope! It was something Robin got for me!"

"Robin?" Shanks looked carefully at the younger man, "Who's that?"

"Um...no one! It's no one! Forget I said anything!"

"Luffy..." Shanks wanted to say more, but the younger man was already looking away.

He giggled, "Is it a secret girlfriend, Luffy?"

"Yeah! She is-" Luffy put hands over his mouth to stop him from speaking.

"W-Wait, you have a girlfriend, Luffy!?" Usopp, not being used to so many surprises in one hour, shouted.

"Luffy has a girlfriend?" The door opened, Nami and Zoro walked inside holding some drinks.

Zoro had to dump the drinks on the table while Nami still held hers.

"Here you go." He told the red-haired man bluntly.

"H-Hey! Don't shake them up like that!" Complaining, he still took one of the drinks and noticed it was mostly juice and soda.

"Where's the alcohol?"

"Tsk." Zoro looked the other way, "I didn't have enough on me, and I didn't want any loans from the money demon here-"

Zoro had to hold his shin in pain after Nami kicked him.

"Is it true?" Nami asked Luffy, "Do you really have a girlfriend?"

"...Yes..." He muttered in defeat.

"Why? Were you interested?" Shanks asked, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Whoever it is must have the patience of a saint." Nami sighed, "I wish them luck, but Luffy? Don't you think you're acting a bit...odd?"

Luffy, who was staring blankly at a wall, suddenly looked at her.

"No? I feel kinda normal."

"Really?" Nami put a hand on his head and took it back in shock, "You're burning up! How are you even walking around like that!?"

Shanks put a hand on the younger man's head, and noticed that she was right. With a fever like this, he should be incapacitated.

"But I feel fine!" Luffy protested, but Usopp put a hand on his shoulder to stop him from getting away from the couch.

"Luffy...don't take illness so lightly."

"Ah...sorry, Usopp." The long nosed man's mother had passed away due to what many had said was a "small cold".

"Luffy, I'm going to ask you again. Are you sure you didn't eat any of the fruit that I sent you guys to take to Crocus?"

"Um...it was purple..."

Shanks smacked his head, and Benn hunched over more in his chair.

"Damn it, Luffy! That was a very stupid thing to do!"

"What? What's wrong?" Nami, sounding even more worried, looked to see their boss starting to sweat.

"Nothing. Nothing's wrong." It took a moment for Shanks to answer, but he sighed and told the group.

"Luffy, you have to be a bit more careful next time, alright?" He gave a small, subdued smile to Luffy, "Don't eat strange things from now on."

"Alright, Shanks! Sorry for eating that purple fruit!" Luffy still smiled brightly at the older man.

"Anyway, I was just worried when Nami told me you were missing. It's good to see that you're all okay. Lucky's already checking out the Baratie to see if everything's okay there."

He pulled a slip of paper out of his pocket and handed it to Nami.

"You've got new orders I want you to work on right away. It's really nothing, but some people decided it would be a good idea to peddle things I would much rather not be peddled in my neighborhood. I hope you guys can get started?"

Nami looked at the small slip, noted the places, and sighed.

"You two!" She pointed at Luffy and Zoro, "Time to get to work! There's a lot of places on this list, and it might take us all day to cover every one of them."

"Hey now...you don't have to get it done in one day, but if you really feel strongly about it." Shanks said with a hint of caution, but he knew that Nami would feel strongly about this. She had gone through things that nobody else should have to experience, and this probably had something to do with it.

"Is there any chance for a bonus if we do finish them all~?" He looked back at Nami and saw her eyes shining with the chance for more money. Maybe she only wanted this...

"...Hm, sure. Why not?" He grinned, ignoring how Benn glared at him.

"Alright! Let's go- Usopp? You're still here?"

"Yeah, but I think I'll just head back to school. It might take another hour to get back, but I might be there before lunch."

Zoro smirked, "Here we were talking about Luffy's secret lover while we forgot you had one of your own."

"L-Lo-Lover?! No! No way! Impossible! And don't ever use that word again!" Usopp exclaimed loudly as the group left the room.

"See ya, Shanks!"

"Later, everyone! Stay safe!" Shanks smiled at them, until the door closed. He then got up and went over to Benn to see what he was working on.

"How are things here?"

"Terrible." Nobody had really noticed it, but Benn's fingers were a blur as they typed silently on the keyboard, "Whoever this is, it's as if I'm fighting ten people or something. I don't think we're going to get this server, Boss."

"It's alright if we don't. I only wanted it to warn the old guy up north, but I've already heard that one of his men has disappeared."

"Marco, wasn't it? Shame that is. One of that guy's intelligence officers disappearing like that? That's a huge loss to him." Benn looked up from the keyboard for a few seconds to see that his leader had a regretful look.

"Yeah..." Shanks muttered until he looked at the screen a little closer. Then he started to laugh loudly.

"Huh? What are you-" Benn found his answer when he saw what was displayed.

"Oh wow, Benn. You know there were children in the room? Doing this sort of thing here..."

"What the hell?! Damn it!" He turned the computer off as quickly as he could.

"You were bested?"

"Yeah...I didn't think they could actually manipulate the data on my hard drive. Tch...having me focus on my hacking attempts while aiming at me?"

"You weren't careful, Benn..."

"I was a lot more careful than you think. It's not that I didn't have any defenses, they were stripped away so fast and before I knew it, they got in."

"Did they get any info from us?"

Benn, taking a deep breath, turned his laptop back on and quickly started to check if it was compromised.

"No...not from what I can tell. I don't have anything worth noting on the laptop itself, but they put...those pictures on this comp. It seems as though it was only a warning."

"A warning? That's a strange thing for the government to do."

"Yeah, but this person I'm trying to hack has actually contacted me."

"Really? What did they want?"

"They told me that I was the first one to ever get so far, but that I was fighting a losing battle. Looking back, I think they were right."

"So, the smartest person in the South East District has been bested?"

"I wouldn't say bested, but yeah. I got my ass handed to me there." Turning off the laptop, Benn relaxed for the first time in a few days. This person was always on, and never gave him any ground, so it had taken a lot from him for nothing.

"This news about Luffy is troubling though." Benn started, knowing that his boss wouldn't want to talk about it.

"...Yeah, you're right. He's been cursed, which is just shitty luck for the poor guy." Shanks, now uninterested in Benn's laptop, took his seat on the couch.

"It's strange though. Didn't Crocus say he received the four fruits as promised?"

"...Yeah. He did."

"So how on earth did Luffy get a hold of one?"

Shanks took out a cigarette, handing one to Benn, and lit them both. He knew Nami would complain, but he needed this now.

"I don't know...but that girlfriend of his...Robin was her name?"

"You don't really think it's that Robin, do you?"

"I'm afraid I don't want to know." Shanks took a long drag before letting a large cloud of smoke to escape his lungs, "But I really wish that it isn't true. If it is..."

"We're going to have to do something about it, aren't we?" Benn spoke, feeling the same amount of tension as his friend.

"Let's hope that it's not what we think it is."

* * *

Kureha typed away on her computer, hoping to get more information about the man called "Lucy". Hiluluk had gone away, saying he needed to get more supplies, but she deduced that he went out drinking.

That bastard. He should have invited her.

Even after a hour of searching, she never found the name of Lucy, the man, but she did discover that certain government officials who had been cursed have gone missing.

Two of them in fact. She didn't know what happened, but she had a small feeling that they were no longer of this world.

She sighed and leaned back in her chair. Kureha thought for a few moments before she decided what to do next.

After getting back onto the computer she deleted all traces of her searches and inquiries. She also deleted the patient file she had labeled as Lucy.

Knowing the government might snoop around, looking for any information on injured individuals with curses or anyone else that had come in with the symptoms of "adjustments", she saved some important data (pictures of her beloved son) and reformatted the hard drive.

In the back of her mind, she thought that Robin owed her one for covering this up.

* * *

**Hope you all enjoyed! I might actually update "Tales of a Sinner" next, seeing as I've had an idea of what the next chapter should be, but, as always, no promises! **


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello everyone! Hope you enjoy the chapter!**

**I'll explain a few things at the end, just to make sure that some things are clarified. I dun want to spoil anything here. **

**I do not own One Piece as that belongs to Eiichiro Oda, Toei, and whomever else owns it.**

* * *

Stretching back in her chair, she flexed her back and was satisfied hearing the small pops.

A bad habit, but something that wouldn't kill her. At this rate, she could die if one wrong step was taken.

Robin pushed her chair back and turned the computers off. They were fine pieces of hardware, but something she wasn't attached to. She and Luffy never really used technology, preferring to be together over most other activities.

Thinking about what she should do later gave her pause. Normally, she would let thoughts of tempting Luffy into something very lewd overwhelm her so much that she would be lost in her own little world, but he was incapable of doing any such thing for a long while, so she instead focused on her task at hand.

If she was correct, the intruder was definitely one of the Red Haired Gang's members, and a high ranking one at that too. The skill the intruder had displayed had been amazing, but thankfully, it had only been one person.

Against her, they would have needed an army of hackers to even give her second thoughts. After all, what was the point of fighting a battle where victory wasn't assured?

Although, a certain man she felt strongly for might disagree. The first time they met, she had thought that he would die with her, but he fought against all odds and saved not only himself, but her as well.

He might not know it, but he had saved her in more than one way.

Leaving the room, she saw that she still had some time to kill before going home. Unlike most government officials, she was unlisted and had no specific duty to preform. She would receive her orders and carry them out with the utmost discretion.

* * *

Going to the cafeteria, she saw a few familiar faces.

Officer Smoker was a well known and well respected policeman who carried out his own form of justice. He had been reprimanded a few times, even being demoted from Agent status, but he was very popular and brought results. Tashigi, his rookie partner, was also with him. She had spoken with Robin in the past and had no prejudice, saying that she didn't think the woman was "that bad".

The two were discussing something about a recent disturbance in the South-Eastern District, but other than that, they didn't notice her.

Kalifa was also there with Blueno. The two looked as if they were low ranked office workers, but they were actually assassins. Quite sociable, they had become something akin to friends with Robin. The other assassins they worked with never showed themselves, aside from Kaku.

It seems they had a mark. Judging by the outdated code they were speaking, it was someone of rising importance in the South-Eastern District. They acknowledged her presence, giving her a small glance, but they no longer worked with her so they didn't want to give her anything to worry about. She was sure her juniors could handle whatever they were assigned.

Agent Momonga was sitting at a table, sipping coffee. He was one of the few that distrusted her, but didn't hold any hate. The man held a lot of influence in the center, being a very capable politician, solider, and enforcement officer. In his hands was a newspaper detailing a few problems that the South-Eastern District was going through.

He gave her a wary glance, but didn't do anything else, to her relief.

The only person she was worried about was-

"Robin! There you are! Come, come! Have a seat!" She complied, "Want a doughnut?"

* * *

"And so, that bastard just wouldn't calm down! I had to hit him so hard, his head became flat! Bwahahaha! We called him, "Hammer-Head Chinjao" after that!" He started laughing hard again, causing spittle and doughnut debris flying through the air. Thankfully, he had taken Robin's presence in mind and directed it away from her.

"Isn't it the other way around? Surely you didn't smash his head so flat that you couldn't see it at a certain angle?"

"That's the thing! His head was already pretty weird! As thin as a pin it was, and he could even split continents in half! Scary stuff, that was!"

"Continents? That's quite the exaggeration."

"Bwahahaha! As cautious as ever I see!" The man calmed himself to see that she seemed impatient, "Eh? What's wrong? Boring you with my old tales of valor?"

Robin shook her head, "It's not that. A few hours have passed since we've started talking."

"What?!" He stood up from the table, holding his head in shock, "I missed the meeting! Sengoku's going to be pissed!"

After thinking about his words, he sat back down.

"Whatever! I'll deal with it later. You got plans, Kid?"

"...I wanted to meet my boyfriend..."

The man stood up again, doughnut particles flying from his mouth, "You have a boyfriend!?"

She took it in stride, "Yes. I fear that he may be worrying about me..."

"Then go home! Why are you here talking to an old geezer like me?!"

"Ufufufu...to be honest, I'm not quite sure myself. You seem...familiar." She stood from her seat and started to leave, "Take care, Garp-san."

"Hey, Kid!" She saw that he was giving her a serious look.

"Don't let anyone boss you around. If you're having any troubles-"

"Thanks for the concern, Garp-san, but I can take care of myself." Now was not the time to ask for his help.

"Your boyfriend better be an upright gentleman, you hear me! I don't want you falling for some punk!"

Her laughter was a bit louder, "Oh, don't worry, Garp-san. He's the best thing that's happened to me!"

Hearing the sincerity in her words, he smiled, "That's good! Bwahahaha! Remember, Robin, I think of you as family! If you're in trouble, don't hesitate to ask!"

"I appreciate it, Garp-san. Good night." She left, knowing that he might not be able to fulfill that promise.

He thought of her as a outstanding young lady who had never experienced great misfortune before. She wondered what he would think if he knew what she had to go through, but she didn't want to hurt the man.

Garp was one of the few that had befriended her quite easily. Aside from Luffy, he was possibly the closest friend she had. In fact, she considered him as a "father figure".

Speaking of father figures...

Agent Aokoji stood near the entrance. The last person she wanted to see.

"Hello, Robin."

"Aokoji." Replying coldly, she tried to walk past him, but he held an arm out to stop her.

"I wanted to talk to you for a bit."

"I apologize, but I have an appointment that I'm late for."

"To your boyfriend, Luffy?" If her blood could freeze, it would now be at sub-zero temperatures.

"...What do you wish to talk about?" She stayed as calm as she could. If she showed the slightest hint of weakness or distress, it would all be over.

"You should be a bit more careful. If I was able to find out, imagine who else could if they tried?"

"Are you sure that it was your skill that allowed you to discover him or was it that I wasn't careful enough?"

"I'm not stupid, Robin, and neither are you." His glasses hid his eyes from her sight, "I didn't train you so you could go and get yourself killed. My superiors are looking for a reason to get rid of you."

"I'm shocked, but not surprised. As if they held their contempt for me secret."

"Robin..."

"What is it that you want me to do?" Her voice turned frigid, demonstrating how much she disliked the man.

The man paused, and Robin thought for a brief second that he would tell her something she didn't want to hear.

* * *

"If I tell you to remove him from your life, would you listen?"

He didn't think it was possible for a person to display such an amount of hatred without actually expressing it.

"I see you no longer wish to live, is that what you're telling me?"

"Hey, hey, hey! That's not what I want you to do." He sighed, his nerves already on edge. Aokoji didn't want to fight someone that he knew could kill him.

"I don't mind if you want to kill me, but I promised Saul and your mother back then that I would try to protect you. The government wouldn't try to kill someone because you love them- wait, they might, but that's not my point. Try to be more discreet, alright?" He backed away, allowing her access to the exit.

"Why?" He saw the questioning look on her face, "What do you gain from this? A bargaining chip to use against me later?"

"Eh? What do you mean?"

"What's the catch? Don't lie to me, Aokoji, you know I don't have any power over you. What do you gain from keeping Luffy a secret?"

"Oh my, oh my...I really can't just do something nice?"

"What is your definition of nice? Forcing a young girl to watch her mother get executed?"

"That's enough!" Aokoji shouted, causing Robin to flinch, "I know you hate me, but if I could have avoided that, I would have! Can't I allow you to actually experience life?!"

Seeing the guarded look to cross Robin's expression, he sighed, calming himself down.

"I...I think it's a good idea for you to develop an intimate relationship with someone. I've noticed that you distance yourself from everyone, but if you love this man, I feel that you'll be happier. Alright?"

Still glaring at him, she started to leave.

"Are you going to report this to your superiors?"

"I highly doubt that they are even remotely interested in your love life, Robin. Don't worry about it."

He could tell she didn't believe him as she walked through the door, heading towards the nearest train station. There, she would get off four stops from Galley-La Shipping company up north and then walk through random alleyways for a half hour. Then, she would run home.

It was far too complicated in his opinion, and yet, he didn't think it was enough. She should have built an underground tunnel with the entrance well hidden.

After all, he found her accidentally while walking home. He still had yet to report to his superiors that she wasn't going to her designated living area, but he thought it was unimportant.

* * *

"Luffy? Are you here?" Robin called out as she closed the door, locking it. She had taken the train to another part of town today to make sure she wasn't seen, and even went through the trouble of making sure she wasn't followed.

How did Aokoji find out? He must have seen her as she was jumping across rooftops. The city was big, but it scared her to think she would be found so easily.

Robin heard some shuffling in the kitchen and saw that Luffy's shoes were at the door.

Thinking that he was preoccupied, she took her own off and proceeded into the kitchen to see that Luffy was sitting in front of the refrigerator, food splattered all over the place and him pulling something else out to eat it.

"Luffy?!" She called out, surprised. He was disorderly, yes, but this was far beyond anything he usually did.

Rushing over to him, she put a hand on his shoulder and found it to be unnaturally cold.

Undisturbed, as if she wasn't there, Luffy kept eating, taking large bites out of an uncooked roast that they had decided to eat the next day.

Seeing that she had no effect, she grabbed his head and turned it forcefully, experiencing the repercussions of doing so as it scraped her hands.

"Huh? Oh, Robin! What are you-" He saw her hands and the blood that seeped through her skin, "You're hurt! What happened?!"

"It's...it's nothing, but what are you doing?"

"I'm hungry, so I'm eating. You want some?" He held out some of the uncooked roast.

"Luffy...it's not even prepared..."

"Prepared? What do you..." Catching on, he suddenly realized he was eating uncooked meat.

With a start, he tried to lightly toss it back into the fridge, but it smashed against the back of the appliance, causing drops of blood to cover them both.

"Ah! I'm sorry!" He put his hand to her face to wipe the blood away.

She was late to react. His hand brushed against her face and she let out an involuntary gasp.

"Robin! Did it get into your eye?" He moved his hand away to see a deeper scrape on her face, where he had tried to clean it while she tried to hide it with his hand.

"Where did that come from?!" Shouting Luffy started to stand.

"Luffy! Please, relax!"

Not knowing that his legs were numb, he fell to the ground. Seeing that Robin was getting ready to help him up, he saw that she was still holding onto his hand.

Even though he had fallen more than a few feet away from her.

"W-What's going on?!" Robin let go of his hand and they both watched it snap back to his body, "What's happening!?"

"It's alright, Luffy-"

He looked at his stomach and paled. It was well over its normal size as he had devoured most of the food in the fridge.

"Oh my god..." Panicking, Luffy looked up at Robin in shock, "Am...am I sick?"

"No..." She knelt down to help him up, "You're not sick. You'll get better, Luffy."

As she touched his hand, he noticed he didn't even feel her touch.

"What's...going on...?" Even as she started to hug him, he couldn't feel her soft skin.

He couldn't feel her warm embrace.

Everything felt cold, and he was hungry.

"You'll get better..." He heard her whisper in his ear, though she had already pulled him away to give him a compassionate, yet worried look.

He was scared.

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed! Let me know what you think!**

**Robin does know Garp is related to Luffy, but she isn't sure if she should mention it. **

**Aokoji may or may not be her real father here. Don't know if I should or not, which is why it's ambiguous here.**

**When Robin whispered into Luffy's ear, it took a few seconds for him to hear it.**

**Kinda don't like explaining things, since I prefer you pretend everything's perfect!, but I hope that clears up a few things.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello everyone! Hope you enjoy!**

**I do not own One Piece as that belongs to Eiichiro Oda, Toei, and whomever else owns it.**

* * *

The night had been long. Both of them had been unable to sleep, though Robin had hid that fact. Luffy, as inconspicuous as ever, had stared at the ceiling. Whatever illness he had been inflicted with, it kept his eyes from drying out, but everything felt off.

His own senses lagged behind reality and even his sense of touch had diminished. Even now, he could barely feel the blankets covering his cold body. Luckily, his sense of hunger had disappeared after a while, but the numbness had remained.

After the sun peaked over the buildings on the horizon, they both grudgingly prepared for the day ahead of them. He noticed the worried looks from Robin, but there wasn't much he could do about it.

Everything still felt so numb, it was starting to drive him mad. It was frightening.

His body felt almost nothing. It troubled him greatly, but he couldn't say anything.

How could he tell her that he was scared that he would stop feeling? Would he still feel happy with her? Would his friends be important to him?

Luffy had been in tough situations before, but he truly felt trapped in this terrifying body.

* * *

The thoughts had troubled him all the way to the Going Merry. Yesterday, they had removed most of the bad element from the streets, so Shanks told them they could have a free day.

The lack of adventure continued to torment him more. By the time he opened the door to the usual room to only see Zoro drinking on the couch, he had become desperate.

"Hey, Zoro." He tried to mutter, but it came out as a shout.

"Jeez, Luffy. No need to be so loud-" His friend's disturbed reaction and voice had been misaligned.

"Fight me."

* * *

The two panted as they lay exhausted on the grass. The Going Merry had a courtyard where many of them used it as a sparring area. Nami and Usopp were always a little upset when things got out of hand, but they didn't understand that they were going easy on each other.

It wasn't a real fight after all. If it had been, only one of them would have walked away.

"Hey...what's the idea...Luffy...?" Zoro said, gasping for air. Usually, only he and that shit cook fought, but Luffy was always against fighting, "You were...a lot slower than usual..."

"Yeah..." Luffy muttered, but he was a little happier. It wasn't that he didn't feel things at all, it was that it was dulled to a point where he couldn't feel it. Sparring against Zoro had been a good idea. While fighting, his senses had returned and he wasn't lagging behind.

The swordsman didn't understand, but one thing had been made clear to him. Luffy had gotten stronger. In fact, his level of strength was unreal now.

"What kind of training have you been doing?" Zoro sat up, looking over at the one he followed. Shanks was the leader, but he didn't care about that. Luffy was the one who had won him over.

"I don't train." Luffy stated, staring up into the sky. A great burden had been taken off his shoulders, and he could smile.

"You're one lucky bastard, you know that? I gotta constantly train or else I lose my edge."

"Shishishi! That's bad luck! Still, even I'm surprised at how strong I am now." Clenching a fist, his knuckles popped loudly.

"Hey, when we were fighting, what was the deal with your limbs? They kept...stretching." Thinking about it, he was kinda freaked out that the man's limbs had stretched out to hit him, but they were uncontrollable and had hit Luffy a couple times.

"I don't know...I was scared when it started happening! I guess I'm that strong?"

"That's more than just strength, Luffy..." Sweat dropped down his face at the obviously stupid answer, "A person could be the strongest in the world, but I doubt that their limbs would be able to do that..."

"How do you know I'm not the strongest in the world?" The swordsman heard him joke, laughing as he got up.

"Cause I know that you think Shanks is beyond your league still." He accepted the hand that Luffy had offered, being pulled up.

"The hell did you do to your hands? It's rougher than my katana grips."

"Remember when I said I ate a purple fruit?"

"Yeah."

"I think it has something to do with this."

"Really? Alright." Zoro had heard of weirder things before.

"Are you two done?!" Hearing a familiar voice, they turned to see and enraged Nami.

"Oh shi-"

The hits that she gave them had been the most devastating blow they had felt that day.

* * *

"Dahahahaha! She really showed you two!" Shanks laughed as he stood near the door. Benn wasn't with him and neither was Lucky.

Luffy and Zoro sat on the couch with two huge, painful welts on their faces.

"I'm so sorry..." Luffy muttered repeatedly, not wanting to get hit again.

"Damn it...I wish you weren't so picky about when we spar-"

"Who do you think pays for the damage you two do?! Ah...Shanks-sama...please don't make me responsible for their idiocy..." She pleaded, only to see that Shanks was now laughing at her.

"Sorry, but it's not my problem! I can't tell them they can't be who they are! You don't have to pay for the damage though." He said, but instantly regretted it when he saw the blazing anger in Nami's eyes.

"Not pay for the damage?! I don't want the government to shut us down! Plus, after making it look so nice, they have to go and ruin it!"

"H-Hey now...I'll cover it this time. Just calm down..." Fear shot through Shanks, and the other two snickered.

"You lost, Shanks."

"The witch is possibly the strongest person here..."

"Dahahaha...yeah, you might be right. I got beaten instantly! But, enough fooling around. I only came here to explain your condition, Luffy."

"Eh?" Seeing that he caught everyone's attention, Shanks cleared his throat.

"Now, you guys have managed to come this far without seeing it before, but it's time you learn about something the government usually keeps under wraps."

Making sure that Luffy was paying attention, he continued.

"You've been "cursed", Luffy."

"Cursed?"

"Yes. Those fruits we sent to Crocus were cursed fruits. He was good to us in the past, so I wanted to thank him. Cursed fruits can be researched or sold for an enormous amount of mo-"

"How much money?!" Nami interrupted, money signs in her eyes.

"Um..." Losing track of his train of thought, Shanks started to sweat, "About...two hundred million each?"

"How do we get it out of this idiot?!" She grabbed Luffy and shoved him in Shanks direction.

"Hey, wait now. You can't remove a "curse"."

At that, the three looked more serious.

"Wait, so I'm going to be like this...from now on?" Luffy, with fear in his eyes, asked the one he considered a father.

"...Sorry, Luffy. That's correct."

Nami let Luffy stand, worry in her eyes and she noticed that Zoro was the same.

Their friend stared at his hands and remembered how they had hurt Robin.

"...You're joking..."

"No, Luffy, I-"

"It has to be a joke!" He started to yell in disbelief.

"Luffy..." Nami tried to comfort him by placing a hand on his shoulder, but he moved away.

"Don't touch me! I...I'm dangerous...!" He tried to run out the door, but Shanks held up an arm to block him.

The man saw the desperation and pain in in younger man's eyes and sighed.

"...I know it's hard to take in. I want you to know that we're your friends, and we'll help you through this...troubling period. It will get better though, so don't be so sad."

He lowered his arm, and Luffy left, slower than he would have.

"Hey! Why are you letting him go?!" Nami rushed to the door, but Shanks held up a hand to stop her while he took a cellphone out.

"Hey, Yasopp." A name that was unfamiliar with the other two, but sounded a lot like Usopp, "Keep an eye on Luffy, alright?"

He nodded head, "Thanks, buddy." Shanks hung up and looked back to the other two.

"Luffy will be alright. You two should know that he needs to accept what has happened. Give him some space."

"He can come to accept it faster if we're with him!"

Shanks sighed, but still remained in front of the door.

"This...isn't something that we can really help him with. The "curse" he has...is special."

"Special?" Something then dawned on Nami, "Wait, you know what's happened to him?!"

"Yeah, it's...well, it's not good, but it's not bad."

"He was stronger." Zoro said aloud, surprising Nami, "And he didn't notice pain that easily. He was slower than normal though."

"Being made of rubber would probably do that to someone."

"He's made of rubber?"

"Yeah." He then looked to Zoro, "He didn't directly touch you, did he?"

"...No. He didn't. Kicked me a few times with his shoes, but he didn't want to punch me." He chuckled, "He did punch my katana though. Thought he was crazy, but I used the back of the blade, so he didn't get cut up."

"You two animals..."

"That does explain why he was stretching all over the place."

"Stretching? Wait, why didn't you mention this sooner?!"

"Didn't think much of it."

"You stupid ape-!"

Shanks started to laugh.

"Taking things in stride, eh, Zoro?"

Zoro snorted.

"It doesn't matter if he ate something weird, he's still Luffy to me. If he doesn't understand that, then I'll have to beat him up."

"That's a good way of looking at things. For now, it'd be best to act as if he's Luffy. Worrying about him so much might bring more harm than help."

"Wait..that's it?! Why are you turning into the bad guy here!"

"Woah, woah, woah! Calm down!" Shanks cowered as Nami was about to hit him, "You're not wrong, Nami! I mean, I'm worried about him too! But right now, Luffy thinks he's changing! If we show him he's the same as always, things will get better!"

Delaying the beating to listen to his explanation, Nami reconsidered.

"So...if Luffy thinks he's getting better...he'll get better?"

"Yeah, that's part of the "adjusment" phase."

"Adjustment?"

"There's a process behind these cursed fruits. The body has to "adjust" to it first, then the person can control it."

"Are there any other phases?" Zoro asked, not knowing if he would like the answer.

"Well...if a person is unable to "adjust" to the fruit..."

Shanks shook his head.

"No. It's not important. Don't worry about it because Luffy won't have to go through it."

"Wait! Why aren't you telling us about the other phases!" Nami, now interested, threatened Shanks with her fists, but the serious look in his eyes made her unsure she could move the man.

"It's not important. Telling you wouldn't help Luffy, but I have a special order for you two."

They could tell that Shanks no longer wanted to talk about the curse phases, and they chose to drop it.

"Has Luffy ever mentioned a "Robin" before?"

"His secret girlfriend? Why would he tell us?"

"Wait, he actually called me about her. He wanted to know where she was."

"Why would he call you?" Zoro looked at Nami more suspiciously.

"Don't look at me like that!" She kicked him, "That was the first time I heard of her as well! I thought I told Luffy that the phone only connects to mine!"

"Gah! You bitch! Stop hitting me!"

"I don't think it's surprising that he forgot. He's as bad as I am when it comes to technology." Shanks said, nodding his head, "It's alright if you don't know about her. I'm sure he only called due to his "curse". It worries me that he doesn't know where she goes..."

"His curse makes him forget things?"

"No, it weakens the signals that his brain sends out and receives. When he was calling, it probably didn't occur to him that calling you wouldn't help."

"...He did tell me to forget it, but I still think he might just be bad with tech."

"That's also a very understandable answer. But, I wanted to let you guys know that you should be careful about her..."

"Huh? Why?"

Shanks sighed, looking more weary than he had been in a long while.

"Just be careful, okay? If you ever see her or know where she is, let me know."

"Is...is she dangerous?"

Looking around, Shanks sighed again, but in defeat this time.

"I wasn't going to tell you two, but that cursed fruit? It wasn't one of the ones we sent to Crocus."

"...Wait?! You mean he didn't eat one of ours?!"

"No. He must have gotten a hold of it some other way. That particular fruit belonged to some high ranking government official. Who just so happened to have disappeared within the last week."

"Do you think that this, "Robin", fed it to him?"

"...It's possible. Let me know if anything happens, alright? You got my number, Nami?"

"Yeah...yeah I do." The woman looked trouble, which caused Shanks to laugh and pat her head.

"Hey, cheer up! I'm sure it's nothing, alright? Everything will be fine!"

He walked out the door, but his expression turned serious.

If it came to it, he would fix all of this if he needed to.

Nobody hurt his friends, and only dead people would mess with Luffy like this.

* * *

Luffy walked back to his apartment, Shanks' words still ringing in his head.

He was "cursed" for the rest of his life. Not that he minded the increase in power, but he didn't pay much attention to that anyway. He was left in despair that it caused him to feel less and that it wouldn't allow him to touch anyone unless he wanted to hurt them.

The rubberman wouldn't forget how he hurt Robin with only a touch, and he would never forgive himself for it.

He knew his friends wanted to help him, but he didn't wish to burden them with this. To put a damper on their spirits because something had happened to him would make him feel worse.

Which is why he was headed home to see if Robin had anymore insight on what he should do. She was really smart, possibly as smart as Benn, and she might be able to know more about his situation. He didn't know why, but he had a feeling that she could understand him a bit better than most.

As he walked, he had more than a few pair of eyes on him.

* * *

Kalifa and Blueno didn't know what had hit them first. The bullets or the fact that someone they never expected to show up had helped them.

It was only a small target, but one that was suspected of being a member of that "Red-Haired"'s gang. Red-Haired was a notorious criminal in the eyes of the law, but a respected public figure in the South-Eastern District. He wasn't a politician, and everyone knew that he was a criminal, but he was someone who wanted peace above everything else.

Unfortunately, the man they had been tailing was far more important than they originally thought.

A bullet almost hit both of them, which would have ended their lives, but they were pushed aside by their savior.

The porcelain mask with a baroque pattern was unmistakeable. Why she was helping them was unknown, but without it, they would have been dead.

"Get out of here." The colder than normal, feminine voice commanded and it was obeyed to the best of their ability.

They could hear the muffled gunshots from afar, and they had to be pushed out of the way again. This time, they were able to retreat far enough that they would be able to prevent their deaths.

The masked figure stared at a position on a tower that most would have not expected the gunshots to originate from, but she knew better. Without a sound, she disappeared.

* * *

The sniper had expected her and had already fired a round at her head. It was a well aimed shot, and technically it didn't miss, but the mask deflected the bullet away from her.

"Do you wish to fight here and now? If you don't mind, I have to be somewhere."

The man glared at her, gun never moving from her.

"That kid down there is like son to me. You wouldn't really think I would leave you to assassinate him?!"

She turned to gaze upon the distant figure of Luffy walking to the train station.

A gunshot rang out, but his aim had been directed away from her, surprising the man.

"You're...!"

"It might not mean much to you, but the boy also means a lot to me. I can't have him dying now."

Luffy had gotten on the train, and it left. It would almost be impossible to follow him now.

Unless one knew where he was already headed.

The man seemed to know that as well as he growled in a mix of frustration and worry.

"You probably won't believe me, but he will be safe. I promise you that."

"You expect me to believe you, one of the most feared killers in the underground, to protect one of my family?! Why should I trust you?"

"Because you don't have much of a choice at this point, I'm afraid. Don't worry. He will be safe."

He thought about following the woman as she left, but decided against it. It wasn't that he wasn't sure he would be able to, it was that he doubted that she would allow him to.

She wasn't feared by many without a reason. Even he felt a tinge of fear when she had shown up.

He took out his phone and started to dial Shanks.

The situation might have been worse than originally thought.

* * *

"Robin! Are you here?!" Luffy shouted, a little louder than usual. He had some control over how much he exerted himself, but not a lot.

"Yes! I'm in the kitchen!"

He walked in to see that the table had already been set, and what looked like a feast was laid out for the two.

"I thought that our fridge held a paltry amount to how much you wanted to eat, so I hope that this is sufficient."

"Woah! That's a lot!" He grinned at her, "How did you manage all of this?!"

"Ufufufu...I have many talents." She said with a sultry tone, hoping that she could get a reaction out of the younger man.

"You sure do! Thanks for the food!" He sat down and started to eat, managing to control himself enough to not let food fly across the table.

It was a reaction that she had not hoped for, but appreciated nonetheless.

"I've got something I want to talk with you about." Luffy, with food filling his mouth, told the woman. She looked interested, but understood that Luffy wouldn't want to talk like this.

"Enjoy the food, Luffy. Ah, don't mind me. You can eat all of it."

"Eh?! Are you sure!?" It really was a lot. Only two people lived in this apartment, but the table was huge and covered with plates of food.

"I already ate. So please, go ahead."

"If you insist!"

She watched him eat, a small smile on her face. The past two days had been a little rough on her, and seeing him smile made her day better.

"Do I have some food on my face?" He asked, noticing the stare.

She snapped out of her trance and smiled wider.

"No, it's nothing. I'm glad you look a bit better."

* * *

It took some time, but Luffy finished eating. His belly was bloated like a balloon, which had unsettled the man, but he didn't feel bad about it.

"Thanks again, Robin! I needed that."

"Believe me, it was my pleasure. What was it that you wanted to speak about?"

"Oh yeah, I'm cursed."

At that, Robin's eyes widened.

"Cursed?"

"Yeah. I don't really understand, but I was hoping you would."

Her expression turned thoughtful, putting a fist under her chin.

"I've heard about it before. I'm unaware of how one becomes "cursed", but it supposedly gives one great powers."

"Ah, I was told by Shanks to deliver fruit to some old guy named Crocus, and I accidentally ate one."

He clasped a hand on his mouth, but Robin appeared to have not noticed.

"Fruit? It's possible...I have heard accounts of that individuals becoming "cursed" after consuming fruit."

"J-Just forget what I said about Shanks! That's supposed to be a secret!" He panicked, causing the woman to laugh.

She thought it was cute as he squirmed in his seat. She stored the thought away, planning on remembering to make him squirm from a different cause later.

"Who's Shanks?" She asked, her tone questioning.

"Eh? You don't know?" Luffy, dumbstruck, couldn't believe that she didn't know who he was.

"Is he important to you?"

"Yeah! Shanks is one of my best friends!" His grin grew so wide that it was unnatural, "He's so cool! His hair is really red too!"

"Ufufufu...maybe I can meet this Shanks one day?"

His eyes shined.

"That would be so cool! I really want to introduce all of my other friends as well! There's Zoro, Nami, Usopp and Sanji!"

"That would be nice, Luffy, but why wouldn't you want to talk about your "curse" with your friends?"

At that, he frowned, causing Robin's good mood to disappear to be replaced by regret.

"I...I don't know if I could do that to them. I don't want to trouble them with this..."

"Ufufu...so you want to trouble me about it?"

"Wait-?! What?! No!"

"I don't mind." The woman felt some excitement build up in her as she watched Luffy's expression turn into one of mortification, "In fact, I'd...love to be troubled by you..."

"I-I didn't want to bother you with this-!"

He was interrupted when Robin laughed louder.

"I love how you get so flustered!" Luffy became a little scared at the unnaturally wild look in her eyes and her deeper breaths, " Perhaps...I should ignore Hiluluk's warning..."

"Eh? Who's Hiluluk?" Scared, Luffy started to shrink in his seat.

"Hm?"

Noticing his new look, Robin giggled a little.

"It's no one. Sorry, but I was a little excited..."

"You get scary when you're excited...really physical too."

"But you don't mind that, do you...?" She tried to put a hand on his, but he flinched.

"...May I?"

"No...you'll hurt yourself..." He wanted to hold her hand, but was very reluctant.

"It's alright. You won't hurt me." She reached for his hand and he didn't move away.

He didn't feel warmth from her hand, but instead felt it in his heart.

Robin saw that he relaxed and knew he wanted to feel more. Her feelings were mutual, and the temptation was great, but she chose to focus on a more important issue.

She sighed, "Your friends are worried about you, but there's really nothing to worry about."

"I feel different, Robin. It's as if I'm not even myself anymore..."

"You're funny, Luffy." He was confused. He didn't make a joke and she wasn't laughing, "Do you think that because something like this happens, you're less than what you were? That you're no longer the same person?"

"But...I...I hurt you. Even now...I don't think I can even hug you..."

"Wounds heal, Luffy. If something like a little scrape were to change my opinion of you, that wouldn't be your fault."

"Wasn't it painful?"

"Not as painful as seeing you so hurt about it."

Luffy hesitated, and when he looked at her calming smile, he felt a little worse. He didn't know that he was still hurting her.

"Sorry. I-"

He was surprised when she put a finger to his lips.

"Shush. There's no need to apologize. To say "sorry" means that you've wronged me somehow. It was an accident...so there's no need."

"But...I still feel bad about it..." His words slipped out even as she tried to quiet him.

Her predatory grin made him feel a little uncomfortable.

"If you feel bad about it, then how about you make it up to me? I have a few things in mind..." She tried to be as seductive as possible, knowing that he was a little more slower than usual.

She really wanted to. It had been a long while since they held each other. The younger man might have been intimidated somewhat, but it would have been good to relieve some of that tension in his expression.

"...Such as you talking about this with your friends."

But she couldn't. To do something like that would undermine their relationship. She didn't want the main attraction between them to be mostly physical.

"...Thanks, Robin." His smile was small, but it caused her heart to skip a beat, "I think I will. It was a great idea to talk about this with you!"

She returned the smile.

"Really...it was my pleasure."

* * *

By now, he should have fallen asleep. If he wasn't, then he was truly a fantastic actor.

His snores almost rocked the room, but they didn't bother her. People might have thought she preferred a more quiet environment, but she actually enjoyed how loud Luffy was.

In fact, she really enjoyed how loud she could make him, but that was another matter entirely. She rose out of bed and looked down on his snoring face, noticing that a small amount of drool was making its way onto their bed.

Robin kissed his forehead lightly, muttering an apology before walking to the living room to recline into the couch.

Reaching underneath, she brought out the porcelain mask with the floral, baroque pattern on it.

Today's conversation had confirmed her earlier suspicions. Luffy worked for "Red-Haired" Shanks.

She placed the mask on her face, enjoying the small bite of cold it sent through her.

Her plan was becoming closer to being complete. There had been a few hiccups, but things worked well for the most part.

Now she only had to stay alive long enough for it to actually work.

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed! Let me know what you think!  
**

**Now, you might be thinking that Robin is OOC in this. You might be correct on that one. In this fic, she's a little...okay, if it involves Luffy, she's really perverted. I always thought that would be interesting. Hell, I think I might actually put that in a different idea I have.  
**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello everyone! Hope you enjoy!**

**I might be going a little too fast, so I'd appreciate if you tell me what you think about the chapter. Is it getting too screwy? Too something else? **

**I do not own One Piece as that belongs to Eiichiro Oda, Toei, and whomever else owns it.**

* * *

"Hey...hey! Robin!"

Groggily, she woke up to see Luffy's face close to her.

"My, my...what a pleasant way to wake up..."

"What are you doing on the couch?" He looked panicked, and she realized he must have been frightened when he found that she wasn't in the bed.

"I got up to have a midnight snack." A simple answer, one that people wouldn't expect from her, but she hoped it would be enough to convince Luffy.

"Ah, is that so? You should have eaten some of that dinner last night. It was delicious!" Smiling, he walked to the front door to put his shoes on.

"I'm off, Robin! I'm a little late as is!"

"Alright." She made a show of stretching out her arms, trying to appear sleepy, "I'll see you later, right?"

"Of course! I should be done around two! See you!" He paused, waiting to hear her send him off.

"Mm! I have the day off, so you can expect me to be here, waiting with some plans in mind..."

"Sounds fun!" He didn't catch the hidden meaning as he left.

Quickly, she checked to see if her mask was in sight, but if by coincidence or luck, she had stashed it underneath the couch before she fell asleep.

She put a cloak on and tried to change her hairstyle. Her long, black hair stood out in a crowd, but she put it in a bun and hoped he wouldn't notice.

To be safe, she also practiced changing her voice to a deeper tone. A skill they used to teach assassins at an early age, but most weren't capable of the extent she was capable of.

Robin hoped Luffy wouldn't know who she would be. Sadly, he didn't know she could fight, but he needed to know some things if he wanted to survive the upcoming battle.

* * *

"Hey...you smell nice."

Sweating, Robin turned to see Luffy sniffing her shoulder.

They were in a train headed to what she thought was "Red-Haired"'s base, but that wasn't important.

What was important was how close he was getting to a stranger on the train. She would need to teach him that people needed privacy as everyone stared at the two in shock.

"...Thanks." Her deeper, but unmistakeably feminine voice told him, hoping he wouldn't investigate further.

"You seem familiar..." Shock went through her body, "Have we met before?"

"...No."

"Ah, well, my name's Luffy!" He put a hand out, "What's yours?"

If she wasn't wearing her mask, she was sure her expression would be one of bafflement.

"...Raven."

"Ah, Raven?" He noticed that she wasn't going to shake his hand, "That sounds a lot like Robin! Do you know her?"

'I've never seen him so inquisitive before.' She thought in despair, 'Perhaps it's instinct?!'

"...No." She wanted the conversation to end. It was getting a little on her nerves that he had approached her immediately after the train had left.

"What do you do, Raven? Today, I'm going to be a cleaner!" He smiled brightly, unsettling the woman as she knew what he was going to have to do today.

"I...I train people."

"Really?! That's so cool! To do what?!"

'Assassination' "To fight."

"Fighting? Are you any good?"

"Yes. In fact, would you like to train with me for a bit?" This was an opportunity she couldn't pass up. Originally, she was going to force her techniques onto him in some alleyway, but he had volunteered, making everything easier for her.

"Hm...I don't know...I'm already late to my job..."

"It wouldn't take very long. I promise."

"Hm..." He rocked his head from side to side, unsettling her.

Finally, he sighed, "Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt, but you have to promise me something!"

"What do you want me to promise?"

He grinned.

"You have to be my friend!"

"...Ufufufu...I promise."

"Hey, are you sure we've never met before? You're really familiar to me for some reason..."

* * *

After leaving the train, she took him to a nearby alleyway in a more secluded part of the district. It wasn't very far from where she had seen him walking late last night, and hoped that she wasn't too close to "Red-Haired"'s property.

"Alright. Now, you're going to have to pay close attention if you want to learn anything from me."

"Alright!"

She took her hand and made her pointer and middle finger stick out while closing the other fingers.

"This is called the "Finger Bullet"."

"Finger Bullet? Are you going to shoot your fingers out like a robot?!" Eyes shining, he watched her approach a wall.

He was only a little disappointed when she stabbed the wall instead, making a neat hole in the wall.

"...No. It's...a technique where one is able to turn their body into a weapon. The finger bullet would normally take years to perfect, but I think you should be able to perform it nicely."

"Wait, why would you think I can do that?"

She paused, thinking of something that he would accept.

"...Intuition."

"Into-what? Well, if you believe in me, then maybe I can do it!"

He walked to her side and did the same thing he saw her do, except when he did it, cracks formed all over the wall and it appeared to almost be at a collapsing point.

The owner of the building ran outside to see what was going on, but after seeing the two scary figures outside, he figured it would be best to call Shanks for reparation and to remove the two freaks.

"Hm...that's pretty good, but you have to drive your fingers into it more. As you are, you're only punching the wall while stabbing it with your fingers.

"W-Woah...I didn't know I was this strong..."

He was even more surprised when she got behind him, holding his hands with hers.

"D-Don't touch me like that! You'll get..." But when she touched his hands, she didn't seem to be hurt. Instead, he felt her hands slide against his without much resistance.

"How are you..."

"It's another technique I have, but one I don't think I can teach you. Now, try it again, but I'll stop you before you go too far."

"Are you sure? I mean, look what I did to the wall."

Robin would have smiled if he could see it.

"Don't worry about me. I'll be fine."

Hesitating, he brought his hand back and prepared to do it again.

Robin was pleased that he obeyed so willingly, and she also noted that down for future experimentation.

* * *

"Boss...I found Luffy."

"Really?! Where is he?! He's late...!"

"Heh, I thought you were fine with him getting space."

"There's a limit to that! How's he doing?!" Shanks sounded more worried than usual, and Yasopp could only think that his calm facade yesterday had only been for show.

"He's...well, that Robin is with him."

"What?" His tone turned serious, "What are they doing? If you need to put a stop to it, do it."

"Um...it looks like...she's violating him."

Shanks went silent on the other side.

"Excuse me?"

"She's hugging his back and they're doing something to someone's wall."

"Oh...uh...well..."

"Boss...? You want me to stop them?"

"I mean, I'd like you to stop them, but I don't know if you should. I mean, we all have our needs, right? And apparently, they're, ahem, in the middle of something at the moment."

"Yeah...it looks like they're practicing Rokushiki techniques."

"Wait, what? I thought you said they were doing "something" to someone's wall?"

"Oh, no! I meant that they were practicing Rokushiki techniques on someone's wall."

"...You intentionally did that to me, didn't you?"

"Heh, maybe?"

"Gah...! Just keep an eye on them, would you?!"

"Will do, Boss." He hung up the phone and continued to point his rifle at Robin's head.

Hopefully, he wouldn't need to pull the trigger, but they still didn't know if she was a threat to Luffy.

* * *

A few attempts later, and Luffy performed the Finger Bullet perfectly. It helped that he was made of rubber so he didn't have to worry about breaking his fingers.

"Oh! That's so cool! Look, I can make holes!" He did it a few more times, cratering the wall.

"Yes, it's good that you learned this first. Finger strength is important for what I'll teach you later..."

"You're going to teach me something else?! What is it?!"

"Um...!" Cursing internally, she had forgotten that she wasn't "Robin" at the moment, but Raven, "I-I've got something else to teach you! It's called, "Shaving"!"

"Shaving? But, Robin cuts my hair. I don't grow beard hair either for some reason..."

"It has another name, "Soru", if you prefer that."

"Hm..." He mulled it over a few times, "That does sound cooler...yeah! I want to learn it!"

"Okay, though I feel you'll need to experience it first before I can teach it." At that, she hugged Luffy tight to her body.

"Huh? What are you doing?"

"This technique propels the user at great speeds, but one has to be able to see where they're going, or else they're going to slam into a wall."

She kicked the ground multiple times, sending the two flying down the alleyway, but before they hit the wall, she kicked the air, sending them flying upwards.

Robin let them stay still for a while, thinking that Luffy couldn't follow the speeds they were moving at.

"Um...didn't you kick the ground a lot? Why didn't you let me do it?"

"Huh? You saw?"

"Yeah." They fell to the ground, and she landed without much effort, managing to control the fall so that she didn't harm the ground, "I saw you kick the ground. Then I saw you kick...the air?! That was so cool!"

"Hm...maybe you're stronger than I thought, Luffy..." He started laughing, confusing her.

"What is it?"

"That's the first time you said my name, Raven! I thought you forgot it or something!"

"Really...you're easily amused, aren't you?" She giggled a little.

"Yeah! You're a really cool guy, Raven!"

She froze, staring at him in shock.

"Guy?" Robin asked, trying to clarify what he had said.

"Yeah! Thanks for showing me! I think I have to go now, or else I'll be late!"

He turned to leave, but had to stop due to a hand being placed on his shoulder. He freaked out since it kinda hurt him.

"Hey-! Raven! What are you-?!"

"Oh no...your training isn't over yet..." He looked at her eyes and saw a violent glint in them.

"Wait...what?!" She pulled him closer, hugging him and lifting him off the ground, "I really have to go!"

"Here's the next move. It's called...Tekkai."

His screams echoed throughout the alleyway and into the city, causing many who heard it to flinch in fear.

* * *

Yasopp started to sweat at what he was seeing, but couldn't tell why Luffy was screaming. He had said something to her, and she turned violent.

His finger twitched, but he wouldn't fire yet. From experience, he knew there were some things you should never say to a woman, and knowing Luffy's personality, he was lucky enough to say the worst thing.

His phone started ringing, and he knew it was Shanks. Now he had to explain that Luffy wasn't dying, but he had brought the pain onto himself.

* * *

"Ouch..." Luffy whined, finally being released from the woman's death grip, "How'd you do that? I thought I wasn't able to feel much pain anymore..." He slumped over, his head hitting the ground.

"There are many things you don't know about this world, Luffy." Robin exclaimed, still upset that Luffy had thought she was a man, "Your "curse" only does so much to protect you. There are still forces in this world capable of harming you."

"Hey...I don't think I told you that I was "cursed"."

"It's not exactly hard to figure out. Your reluctance to be touched, your surprise at your own strength...and I'm "cursed" as well."

"Eh?" At this, Luffy rose his head up in excitement, staring at her with shining eyes, "You...you mean you're like me?!"

"Yes. I am."

"D-Does it really get better?! I mean, I've been unable to touch anyone...except you! Will I be like this forever?!"

It hurt her to see such expectant eyes, but he didn't understand something.

"All "curses" are different. We "cursed ones" all go through different experiences, so I wouldn't be able to help you with yours."

"Oh..." His eyes, losing most of their excitement, returned to the ground.

"...But it does get better." He started to stand up, "All you have to do is remember that you're still you. Being "cursed" doesn't mean a thing unless you want it to."

"Heh...someone else told me something like that too..."

"She must be a very intelligent woman. Perhaps you should treat her to something later to show your appreciation. Maybe a back massage. Or show her what I taught you today."

"Yeah...you're right! Thanks, Raven!" Rubbing his shoulders, he ran out of the alleyway, "Thanks for teaching me some things! I'll try to remember the finger bullet, soru, and..." He shuddered, "...tekkai."

"Remember the finger bullet! That's very important!" She yelled after him, hoping he would remember.

"Eh? Why is it so important?!" Luffy was getting much farther away, and had to yell.

"Specifics are unimportant! I need you to remember!"

"...Alright! Later!"

"Goodbye, Luffy!"

As he turned the corner, she also turned to look at a tower in the distance.

"You shouldn't point something that dangerous at a lady..."

* * *

Yasopp was surprised that she looked right at him, but was even more surprised when she appeared next to him in under a second.

"How in the-?!"

"I believe it's rude to kill someone from that distance." She held him down, and he struggled helplessly, "I prefer to be at least this close when I take a life. Give me a reason why I should abstain from doing so now."

"I won't beg for my life! If you're going to kill me, then do it!"

He was surprised when she kicked him in the face and let him go.

"Don't treat your life so carelessly. I won't kill you because it might upset Luffy."

Yasopp coughed as she started to walk away, but he grabbed onto her cloak.

"Wait! I won't let you use Luffy for whatever you're scheming!"

"Use?!" She kicked his hand away, "I'm not using him! How dare you suggest such a thing!"

"Then what do you call that?!" He pointed at the destroyed wall, "Are you trying to turn him against us?! Are you using his innocence to get information about us?! The boy has too much compassion, and I won't let you abuse that good will!"

He tried to take a pistol out to shoot her, but something caused it to fly out of his hands and an unknown force kept him down on the floor.

"...I am not your enemy. If anything, I am your greatest ally in what is about to come..."

"What?! What are you talking about?!"

"...The government knows where "Red-Haired"'s friends stay. It's name was...the Going Merry, I believe?" Yasopp paled, "They also know about their young friend in school. There are already plans being put into motion to take care of-"

"Tell me!" She was surprised when he broke free from her grasp, and had put a gun to her head, "When are they going to attack Usopp?!"

"Usopp, you say? That's one of Luffy's friends, right?" She chuckled, "I think they plan on attacking him today. If you hurry, I'm sure you can save him and his girlfriend, Kaya."

His eyes were wild and the gun in his grip was shaking.

"Why...?" He wanted to kill her, but she could have easily kept the information from him, "Why are you bothering us?! Does the government want to start a war!?"

"I won't lie. They've been looking for a reason to start one with you, but I'm trying my best to avoid that."

"And what would you gain from stopping it?! Aren't you their greatest dog?!"

He could tell the words stung deep as she glared at him from behind the mask.

"...Luffy would be greatly devastated by the boy's death, wouldn't he? Shouldn't you be rushing to save him?"

His breathing increased and she could feel the killing intent leaking from his eyes.

"God...!" He holstered the pistol, ran by her, and picked up the rifle, "...damn it!"

She could see him taking a cell phone out as he jumped as fast as he could to the train station. It was quite the distance between the South-Eastern District and Central, but she was sure he would make it in time.

It wasn't a lie that there was a hit out on young Usopp, but he wasn't considered a threat. Only as potential hostage material. The genius sniper, Yasopp, could surely take care of the lurking government agents and make sure that the boy would survive.

"_I won't let you use Luffy for whatever you're scheming!"_

The very thought wounded her. Use Luffy for her own needs? That was impossible.

Deep down in her heart, the words reverberated over and over again. Was she using him?

Did she only care about what she could get out of him?

Gasping, she knelt down and took off her mask. It was suffocating her and her sweat was uncomfortable.

She was doing this for him! How could she be the one who benefited the most?!

_The fruit dropped into the bag, the two purple ones contrasting against the normal fruit. _

_Hopefully he would find the bag and eat the right one. _

Robin shook her head and put her mask back on, standing tall even though she felt so small.

She could remind herself that she was doing this for him, but that dark, evil thought that she was using him hurt.

Would he want to stay with her after all of this was over?

She was afraid. Afraid that he would find out how much of a monster she really was.

And then her light would leave her life and there would be no point in living. If he chose that path, then she would still make sure he would survive the storm.

Even if he were to hate her later on, her heart would always be his.

* * *

"Hm? Wait a second...I didn't tell Raven about Robin telling me about the curse...eh. Whatever! I hope Robin thinks my techniques are cool!"

Luffy arrived after he had run so fast to make it on time. He didn't know that he was more than a few hours late.

He entered the room, shouting his greetings and saw that the whole gang was there. Shanks, Benn, and even Lucky were here with his crew.

"Luffy, we need to talk."

"Eh? About what? I swear, it was an accident that I was late! I met a new friend on the way here, and-"

"It's about that friend, Luffy." Shanks motioned for him to sit.

"You know Raven? That's so cool! I wanted to introduce him to you all later!" The rubberman took the seat, grinning at his confused friends.

"I swear, Yasopp said that Luffy was getting hurt for some reason. I think I guess why now." Benn muttered aloud.

"Yasopp? Who's that?" Nami spoke up. The name sounded so much like Usopp, but he was at school, and he said he didn't have a father.

"U-Uh...nothing! Nothing, Nami! Don't worry about it!" Shanks glared daggers at Benn, who had been too focused on Luffy's situation.

"You know why he hurt me? Jeez, I don't know why he got so angry..."

"You are so dense, it's funny, Luffy. "Raven" is a girl."

"EH!?" He tried to stand up, but Shanks had anticipated his surprise and had put a calming hand on his shoulder.

"And...Raven is actually Robin."

It took a second, but Luffy started laughing.

"Shishishi! That's so funny, Shanks! Are you sure you're not the dense one?"

"I swear, being called dense as you are right now is really insulting."

Luffy then saw that no one was laughing with him. In fact, everyone looked serious.

"H-Hey, what's going on? Are we going to talk about my curse? Robin told me I should talk to you all about it."

Sanji didn't ask what he meant by curse. He had already been informed by the others what had happened. He had the extreme desire to talk at length with Luffy about his secret girlfriend, but the others had told him to stay quiet for the moment.

"We're going to talk about Robin, Luffy."

"That was supposed to be a secret! Why are you spreading it around to everyone!"

"It's because...she's part of the government, Luffy."

"W-What...?"

"She's the enemy, Luffy, and it's possible that she's been fooling you this entire time."

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed! Let me know what you think! **

**Ended it like that because I'm kinda tired trying to think about this chapter. I might have to take a short break and work on some of my other fics. I actually have an idea about another one, but I'll detail that in the newer chapter of "A Different Take" (which would probably updated in a week after I shuffle through the chapters)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello everyone! Hope you enjoy the chapter!**

**The reason this took so long was because I couldn't think of an appropriate fight scene for the characters, so I said "Screw it" and wrote whatever. Zoro got the short end of the stick, cause I skipped the end of his fight. **

**Is Robin older than Luffy? She is in canon and in this story, but I guess I could say she's younger than she is in canon? Let's say...about 23 compared to Luffy's 18? Whatever. In my opinion, they live quite the dangerous life, and they could die at any time. Why would age matter to any of the Straw Hats? Sides, we all know they love their family equally. Except in Zoro and Sanji's case. Dunno what you would call that.**

**I do not own One Piece as it belongs to Eiichiro Oda, Toei, and whoever else owns it.**

* * *

"You understand that you have to stay here?"

"But...Robin was waiting for me back at the apartment..."

"Ah, you've reminded me of that little detail. Give me the address where you're staying with her."

Pouting, Luffy wrote the information down on the pad that Shanks had handed to him.

"She's nice, Shanks...don't upset her..."

"I'll try not to, Luffy, but I'm worried that she only used you for sex."

"W-Wait...are you saying that Luffy had..."relations" with a beautiful woman!?" Sanji shouted in outrage, walking up to Shanks, "And he didn't tell us about it!?" They had told him that he had a girlfriend, but he had actually gotten physical with her?!

Unperturbed, Shanks pocketed the notepad and looked at the cook.

"Yeah. Actually, I think you're the last to know this."

"Usopp kno-?!"

"Yeah. Usopp knows."

He struggled to keep his serious expression as the cook threw a small tantrum, ending in him crying on the ground.

"You...you mean Luffy has...already surpassed me?!"

"Like that's very hard, you shit cook."

"I did not ask you, you freaking planthead!"

"Enough!" Shanks announced, knowing that if he didn't do anything, he would have to deal with two very aggravated teenagers, and that was something he didn't have time for at the moment.

"Luffy. You're staying here, alright? We'll be back soon."

He found it hard to look at Luffy. The defeated look in the rubberman's eyes bothered him.

"...What are you going to do?"

"We're going to get some answers-"

"Don't worry." Benn looked a little disturbed that Shanks had interrupted him, but knew the red-haired man didn't want to upset the younger man, "We're going to make things right, okay? We just need a few questions answered, and maybe...you'll be able to see Robin again."

"Was...me seeing Robin a bad thing?" Even his voice was tugging on the man's heartstrings, "I'm sorry for keeping it a secret, but she's a good person! I...I don't want to hurt her."

He sighed, and the two commanders of Shanks' gang could see that the man was having difficulties.

"No. You being with Robin isn't necessarily a bad thing." He put a comforting hand on Luffy's shoulders, but he could see it wasn't helping.

"One...one time she told me that she needed me for something..."

"Eh? What? What was it?" Hoping for a better answer than the one he had in mind, Shanks shook Luffy, but was confused why the man's face was becoming redder.

"Robin didn't say why...she said she just needed me...then...we kinda..."

"Oh!" Shanks could tell everyone was a little surprised by that little tidbit.

Sanji started to cry, but managed to control it.

"She also said she needed me for some of her "plans", but she's a good person!"

"Uh...I don't need to hear any more, Luffy. We'll find out soon enough." He and his commanders walked to the door, "Stay here, Luffy. I don't think I can stress this enough. I have a feeling something's going to go down..."

Luffy didn't reply. He lowered his head to stare at the ground in sadness.

"Would it have been better, if I had said nothing...?" Shanks couldn't tell if he meant to voice the thought aloud.

"...No. It was a good thing you brought this to our attention, Luffy." They three started to leave, not noticing that the others looked at Luffy in concern.

* * *

"...Are you going to be alright, Luffy?" Nami walked up to him, trying to see his expression after the three had left.

"I...I don't know." His head shot up, his expression stressed as he tried to understand why the others had been so cautious about his girlfriend, "What do you guys think?! I'm telling you, she's really nice! You would like her!"

"Luffy, she's with the government." Zoro spoke up, his tone leaving no room for compassion, "She's an enemy. Have you told her anything about us? About your association with Shanks?"

"...I might have mentioned a few things..."

The room sighed, discovering that their friend may have given information to the enemy.

"This is very serious, Luffy!" The woman was exasperated, but she knew that the rubberman wasn't faring any better than they were, "They could attack us at any moment! Why didn't you try to find out anything about her past or where she worked? I thought you were smarter than that..."

"I didn't do it because I didn't care." His gaze returned to the ground to stare at it ruefully, "Remember when we had to deal with Crocodile? I met her during that mission..."

The three cringed, clearly remembering one of the worst experiences of their lives. What they had thought to be petty dealers and thugs encroaching on their territory had turned out to be the work of an underworld boss by the name of Crocodile. Shanks had been too late to find out, and before they knew it, the group had been deep in the territory of the evil mastermind.

Luckily, Luffy had beaten the man to a pulp, but he had disappeared for a while after that. They had all panicked, thinking that he could have died, but he showed up a few days later looking better than he had before.

"So...that's when you met her?"

"Yeah. She was working for Crocodile, but she told me that she wasn't really working for him. Robin had thought she could find something she was looking for if she followed Crocodile, but he didn't have what she wanted."

"What was it that she wanted?" Nami, being the miser that she was, didn't think the woman wanted money. Government employees weren't the most well off individuals, but they could get anything they wanted.

"She never told me...I think she was looking for a place to belong, so I asked her if she wanted to come with me. Heh..." Luffy chuckled darkly, remembering the pain that he had seen her in, "At first, she didn't trust me, but I convinced her that I meant it. She took me to her apartment and, well, I stayed there for a while. We talked a lot..."

The others felt bad when they saw the sad little smile that started to cross Luffy's face.

"For your sake, I hope your relationship is true." Zoro told his friend, surprising the other two, "If not, then we've got to show her that she shouldn't mess with you like that."

"Aw, Zoro cares about Luffy...quick, Sanji! Get the camera."

"Sh-Shut up! So what if I'm concerned!?"

"Look! He's blushing! And to think, we thought he was an emotionless head of cabbage..."

"Do you all want to die?!" The man jumped up from the couch, his hands already on the hilts of his swords.

"...Shishishi! Thanks, Zoro!" He looked at Luffy and received a grin filled with gratitude.

He sighed, "Whatever. We're friends, Luffy, and if you think this woman is on our side...then I'm willing to believe it."

"Thanks! Alright then, I've decided!" With new found life in his eyes, Luffy stood up and walked to the door.

"I'm going to go find Robin and ask her directly!"

"You think she'll tell the truth?" Skeptical, Nami asked even as she walked over to leave with her leader. Sanji and Zoro also approached the door, managing to not get into an argument as they did so.

"She will! I know it! Robin isn't a bad person, and if I have to show Shanks that, then so be it!" He ran out the door, the others following him.

"I can't stand around and do nothing! It's time to get answers!"

Above the Going Merry, they missed how a few figures stared at them leave and follow the rubberman. They leapt across the rooftops, tailing the Red Haired gang members.

* * *

It had been a few hours since she had shown Luffy the techniques, and she was waiting patiently for the next step of her plan.

Her next move would be determined by the events that followed the discovery that she had been with Luffy. Hopefully, "Red-Haired" wouldn't attack on sight or something as silly as force her away from her belo-

"Yo! You're "The Bloodstained Massacre", aren't you?"

Turning, she saw that legendary Shanks stood with his equally famous captains, Benn Beckman and Lucky Roo. Yasopp was still away, tending to his son's safety.

"I do not go by such a name."

"How about "Arms of the Government"?" His expression was tense and expressionless, as expected of a man of his caliber.

"Nor do I go by that one as well." She approached the group, noticing how they looked prepared to execute her.

Not that she would allow them too. At the very least, she would wound them as much as she had to guarantee her escape.

"Well, there's only one other name I know of..."

"My name is Ni-"

"Why are you bothering my friend, "Devil Child"?"

At that, the woman stood still, glaring cold daggers at the three.

"Ah! That got me a reaction. Good to know that my information about you isn't all garbage."

"Refrain from calling me that, if you will. That name no longer applies to me."

"Does it? From what I've heard, everyone associated with such a name has either disappeared," His glare rose the tension between the four, "Or is dead. Which one were you preparing for Luffy?"

"Enough of this. I wanted to deal with you, "Red-Haired"." She needed to change the conversation quickly. A fight was something she didn't want as long as Luffy loved the man.

"...For what?" He allowed her to speak, rather than take the chance to cause more strife within the woman.

"I seek asylum from you to protect me against the government."

Shanks snorted, startling the two beside him.

"Protection? Why would you need that? Admit it, you don't need us to protect you."

"It's not really for me, but for our mutual friend."

"Luffy? Why would he need protection?"

"As I told your lovely assassin, Luffy's group is being targeted by the government. I'm not sure as to when they'll act, but in time, they'll attempt to take them out."

"And pray, tell us how they know about Luffy and the Going Merry?" The three looked suspicious of her, which was starting to sound alarms in her head.

"...I'm not sure how they know about the group, but I've eavesdropped a bit on my colleagues work. Most of them have been directed to this district, aiming for the group."

"What proof do you have?"

"Yesterday, they had attempted to attack Luffy. I'm sure your sniper told you about that."

"He also told me that you protected them from him."

Robin grit her teeth slightly, realizing her mistake.

"...Though I wish to turn on them, the assassins were once close partners of mine. I did not wish for them to meet their end in an alleyway."

"And I don't wish for my close friend to be deceived by the most egregious act that I've ever seen! What makes you think that we'll trust your word that you even feel the slightest for him-?"

"Don't," The word seeped through closed teeth and they realized she was shaking in anger, "Question my feelings for Luffy."

"This is quite unlike you, "Devil Child". I heard that you were intelligent, but all I see is a big fat lie. Though, I must admit, there must be more to this than I see..." Shanks sighed, "Look. Luffy trusts you. I, and my friends here, think that's a big mistake. Is...is there any other evidence you have that you want to help him? Anything you can tell us that will prove you want to turn against the government?"

Robin paused, thinking carefully. The anger still remained, something she cursed herself for, but she had controlled it enough so that she wouldn't murder the three in front of her.

"...I was the one that hacked into your computer, Benn Beckman."

"Ah!" The man gasped in surprise, "You were the hacker? Hm...it makes sense that I was beaten by you..."

"I don't have much evidence. The government keeps me on a rather short leash and I've had to obey their commands."

"Have you been given any serious orders?"

"I was tasked with the assassination of Marco, of Whitebeard's group-"

"Holy shit-!" The three almost drew their weapons on her then and there.

"But he's safe. I merely fought and subdued him." It took much effort to not react to their hostile movement.

"Hey, Shanks?" Benn motioned for Shanks to lend his ear, which he did, "If this is true, we could use this to bolster our relationship with the old man. If we were to return one of his "sons"..."

"That's true...though I don't think I would do it for an advantage. Just being on friendly terms with each other would be good enough for me..."

"Shanks? Should we believe her? I mean, alternatively we could try to kill her here..." Lucky Roo spoke up, "But the poor kid would be heartbroken. I don't think we would want that!" He smiled, despite the seriousness of the situation.

Shanks sighed deeply, thinking about the potential risks and benefits they could get. Accepting Robin could give them a huge advantage over the government, who would then back off for a bit, but if she was faking it...

They wouldn't live to see the next day.

"Well? What's your decision, "Red-Haired"?" They could hear some urgency in her voice, "I don't wish to hurry you, but I'm afraid Luffy is a very vulnerable target at the moment."

"Hm...gah!" Shanks ran a hand through his hair, "Alright. Here's what we'll-"

Before he could finish, a small object dropped in front of them, and in their surprise, it exploded into a light brighter than the sun.

* * *

"Hm?" Luffy stopped running to look down the street.

"What is it? Wait...do you even know where they are right now?!"

"I thought I saw something..."

"Oh god! We've been following Luffy! Curses...! I'm sorry, Nami-swan, I should have payed more attention...!"

"That's alright, Sanji." Nami pat the crying man's head, causing him to leap back in joy, "I forgot that he's...a bit restricted at the moment."

"Restricted? Isn't he the same? Like we agreed?" Zoro stressed the last part, hoping the man didn't hear Nami's speech.

"Yeah, he's still Luffy, but he went stupid. Usopp told us how he tried to get to the Going Merry and ended up halfway in hell."

"Hey..." Luffy muttered, "Are they over there?"

"Why are you asking us?!"

Though angered, Nami's expression quickly turned to surprise as Sanji picked her up and jumped in the air.

"H-Hey! What are you doing?!"

Looking back to where she was standing, her blood went cold when she saw the massive gouge in the ground.

"Oh? That was a nice dodge! You're good!" A rough, sardonic voice called out to them from above.

They saw the voice belonged to a man who had a large scar running down his left eye, and he wore a black outfit that looked more comfortable on a martial artist.

"I think I'm going to enjoy this!"

* * *

Zoro had dodged the ambush, hoping Luffy still retained enough of his former fighting prowess to also move out of the way, but he was beset by someone who was a little more skilled than he was.

Their swords clashed together a few times, deflecting the other's blade, but not striking any wounds upon the other.

"I say, you're rather skilled!" His assailant told him as they continued to fight, "I believe I will enjoy fighting a man of your caliber!"

"Who the hell are you?!" Zoro had been too focused on fighting, so he took a few steps back to observe his opponent.

And when he did, his mouth almost dropped in shock.

"U-Usopp?!"

"Usopp? Lad, my name is Kaku! Pleasure to meet you, but I apologize, for you have to die here." Zoro had been initially surprised by the man's long nose, but realized that it was square instead of round. The man also wore what appeared to be black track clothing and a baseball hat.

He grit his teeth and prepared to fight, a grin slowly forming on his face. The man might have been more skilled than him right now, but there was no point in fighting weaker opponents.

Fighting people stronger than yourself guaranteed improvement, but if he didn't win, he would die.

* * *

The ground exploded, sending Luffy to the side. He hit the wall with a loud thud, but he felt fine.

It wasn't that he didn't sense the attack, but he had been too focused on something else. He thought he felt Robin in the distance, but wasn't sure why.

"So...you're the target today." A man wearing a black suit with top hat appeared before him, "A pity you weren't more of a challenge." His hand was already coming down on the rubberman, his hand in a position familiar to him.

The man's fingers almost tore through his skin, but luckily his curse was able to prevent him from dying from a pierced lung.

"Oh? You're "cursed" aren't you?"

The man was even more surprised when Luffy accelerated from his kneeling position into his gut, using "Soru" to ram into the man.

"Guh...! You know "Shaving"?" The impact knocked some of the wind out of him, but he quickly recovered.

"That's a lame name. "Soru" sounds better!" Luffy took up a fighting stance as he glared at the man who stood across from him. They were in a rather confined alleyway after Luffy's stunt, but he could tell his friends were having problems of their own in the street.

"Hmph. I know of one person who might agree with you. My name is Lucci, and I will be the last person you see in this life."

* * *

"Thank you, Nico Robin, for leading them right into the trap!" Through their brightened blindness, they could hear the sound of a man using a megaphone.

They didn't need their sight to know that they were being surrounded by the military.

"You! Did we get tricked?!" Shanks cried out, taking his saber out while Benn and Lucky drew their guns.

"No! I...I didn't know!" Robin, recovering her sight, saw that more than a hundred men, probably with elite training, had their weapons trained on the four.

"Sorry, Robin." A voice she knew sounded near her, "I thought it was suspicious that you were able to save our lives. You weren't supposed to be in the area, but you were."

"Blueno..." A tinge of betrayal went through her before she quashed it. Blaming Blueno wouldn't help them at the moment, and he was right. She wasn't supposed to have been there to save their lives.

"It is regrettable, but we must end your contract here, Nico Robin! You have served us well, so we hope you obey your final order to die!"

"Well, that clears up some of your suspicion! Now we just have to get back to the others!" Benn remarked as he formulated his next move against the many armed forces they now faced.

Robin gasped, realizing who had gone after Luffy, "If you're here...then that means that..."

* * *

He was sent flying back, and Nami screamed in a mixture of fear and pain. The man they were fighting had tricked the cook, and had gone for her. A deep gash was in her side, but she was more worried about Sanji.

Sanji slowly got up, his clothes torn to shreds as the man used his inhuman claws to rip through flesh and cloth.

"Gyahahahaha! Are you really targets?! You can barely fight!" The man laughed, holding his sides from laughing so hard, "Man, I really got it easy, don't I?!"

"You bastard...!" The cook took a step forward, trying to ignore the pain, "How dare you attack a lady in such an underhanded way!"

"Please! Like I care about fair! If you weren't smart enough to figure out my plan, then maybe you should just die!"

"You're right...!" Gnashing his teeth, Sanji walked forward, "I should "just die"! Nami was hurt because of my incompetence, but before I die, I'll kill you!"

"Gyahahahaha! Stop it! You really are going to kill me! You're cracking me up!"

"Concassé!"

"Ha! Tekkai!"

Sanji had dropped to one hand and swung his leg to smash it into the man's side, but his muscles tensed up like steel cables.

"Gah! That's impressive, but "Shigan"!"

He drove his fingers into Sanji's side, though the cook turned in time to avoid a fatal wound.

"Anti-Manner...!"

The man was surprised as Sanji turned inwards, bringing the leg he kicked with closer to his body, and the cook rose from his low position using his other leg.

"...Kick Course!"

"Tekkai-!"

As Sanji's foot impacted his chin, the assassin regretted taking the hit. The cook's flexibility far surpassed what the man had thought and he payed for it by taking a big hit.

* * *

The blades that came at him innumerable, but he tried his best to block the ones that came down on him while he let the ones that wouldn't cause serious damage to cut his body.

"You lot sure are impressive! At first, I assumed we might be dealing with mere fodder, but you're keeping up pretty well! You have my compliments."

Kaku held two swords in his hands. They weren't quite as long as his own katana, but the user was quick enough to pose a formidable threat with the blades.

"Ha...ha...you're not bad either." They had traded a few wounds, but that last attack was unexpected.

"It's a shame that your three-sword style is weaker than my four. I enjoyed this fight, I'll have you know, but I really must finish it."

"Big words...let's see if you can back them up!" Rushing forward, Zoro brought his swords down onto the man, but Kaku blocked the hits and raised a leg in the air.

"Tempest Kick!"

One might think that trying to kick someone when they bared a sword at you was dangerous, but Zoro had already fallen for that trick once. He moved to the side to avoid the shockwave the leg produced, and he was still amazed at how cleanly it cut into the ground.

The blade of air slammed against a building, causing its inhabitants to cower in fear. Fighting would occasionally happen, but they had thought they were safe due to Shanks' influence in the area.

Zoro pressed forward, slipping one blade underneath the ones Kaku blocked with and slid to the side, swinging the swords in his hand and mouth to attempt to cut the man from beneath his guard, but Kaku twisted one of his swords to block the attack.

What the man didn't expect was Zoro to continue spinning, bringing the other sword to strike Kaku in his back.

Jumping away from Zoro, the assassin thought that he had escaped the technique, but was surprised when he felt cuts form on his chest and legs.

"...Remarkable! Are you becoming stronger as we fight?"

Zoro grunted, satisfied that he wounded the strange man.

"Why don't we keep fighting, or perhaps this isn't going the way you had planned?"

Kaku grinned as he felt a tinge of excitement run through him.

"Don't disappoint me now!" They ran towards each other, intending to see who was the better swordsman.

* * *

Luffy struggled to stand. Wounds covered his body and his blood stained the alleyway red. The man, Lucci, stood in front of him with far less injuries.

"It seems that this is the extent of your abilities." He sighed, "How pathetic. I thought it would have been a little more exciting after you used "Shaving"."

The rubberman clenched his fists and tried to think how he could win this fight. So far, his opponent was better at every aspect. The only reason he had lived this long was because of his curse.

"Shigan!"

Grunting, Luffy dodged the man's attack, but crashed against the wall.

"Tempest Kick!"

Ducking, he also dodged the blade of air that cut through the wall, eliciting screams from within.

"Hey! Stop doing that!" He shouted as threw a punch, but was dismayed when Lucci merely stepped to the side as his fist smashed against the wall.

"Make me." Lucci told him as he drove his fingers into Luffy's chest.

Luffy grabbed his hands and used "Soru" to push them both into the wall, denting it. Lucci only used his other hand to stab Luffy, but he had to take a sharp hit in the form of Luffy's own "Shigan" in his side.

"Gr! You know our techniques?! Who taught you?!"

"A friend!" The rubberman shouted as he threw the man into the opposite wall with the hand buried in his side.

Lucci cursed at the injury the criminal gave him. The rubberman's skin tore away at his own and that last move had ripped a considerable amount of flesh from his side. Blood poured out of his side like a fountain, and he knew that his opponent had wounded his kidney.

"I'm impressed." Even though the pain was great, his voice was steady, "Whoever taught you took advantage of your strange body, no, it seems your body was strong enough to perform the techniques. What kind of life have you led, I wonder?"

Distracted, Luffy thought of his grandfather and the hellish things the man had put him through.

"But it ends here." Lucci's tone turned bestial as his form started to grow.

"Prepare to die."

* * *

"Shit! Luffy's in trouble!" Shanks, with his clenched teeth and glare, forced many of the men to step back in fear.

"Alright men! Fi-!"

The man on the megaphone was quieted, causing confusion among the enemy ranks.

"I...I need to go." The three criminals turned to see the masked woman shaking, and her arms were crossing her chest.

The many cries of surprise and for mercy erupted from the men as something grabbed a hold of all of them, but they were soon silenced.

Robin left, using an advanced form of "Soru" only she was capable of and the three criminals stood in shock.

"Woah...she killed them all..."

Lucky Roo laughed, despite the carnage he had witnessed, "It's a good thing we weren't going to fight her, right? I'm not sure if we could have won!"

"We can debate that later, but we have to get to Luffy and the others!" Shanks cried out, already moving to the Going Merry.

He seemingly disappeared from the area with his friends as they rushed to try to save their friends.

* * *

She sensed Luffy and his friend's current location. She also felt the signatures of three other people she knew.

Never had she thought that the government would consider the group to be that much of a threat to warrant the attention of CP9. Blueno and Kalifa were with them, but they weren't as strong as the Jabra, Kaku, or Lucci, so they were assigned to other, lesser important missions.

Robin was getting extremely anxious. Luffy wasn't ready to fight someone like those three. He had defeated Crocodile, but they were both normal humans.

Those three were anything but normal. Lucci was also "cursed", which made it worrisome that he would participate in this mission.

A small crater formed where she landed on the rooftop that overlooked the three assassins.

"Collier!"

"Tekkai Kenpo: Rōga!"

She saw a blonde man swing his leg at an injured Jabra's neck, who tried to grab the man's leg with his unnaturally long fingernails. The man's leg lowered ever so slightly below the assassin's grasp that it hit his chest instead.

"Longe!"

Twisting, the man lowered himself and tried to sweep Jabra's legs, but he was blocked by tekkai. Even with the iron body, she could tell that he felt it.

"Santen Découpage!"

Trying to conserve his momentum, the blonde man turned again and sent three fast kicks towards Jabra, who had only managed to block the one to the chest, but was unable to do anything against the one that hit his face and legs.

Jabra stumbled as the blonde man spun, and spun, and continued to spin in the same direction.

"Mouton...!"

His leg seemed to glow as he sent it forward, into Jabra's gut.

"...Shot!"

The assassin was sent into the far wall, cratering it greatly as he fell unconscious.

Kaku, who had been fighting a green haired man was on the defensive, was being pushed back by the swordsman's three swords. He tried to use "Tempest Kick", but every time he tried, the swordsman would suddenly push even harder, almost overcoming the man a few times.

She could tell Kaku would lose. The man he was fighting had much more endurance than the man, but not only that, but she could see the spirit in the other man's eyes.

They were the eyes of someone who wouldn't lose, not even if they lost their life.

They must have been Luffy's friends. Robin could see a woman running to the blonde man's side as he slumped forward, possibly losing consciousness.

She observed the two for as long as she could until she looked to where Luffy was.

Snarling, Lucci in his "cursed" state stabbed Luffy's hand as the rubberman tried to punch him. It backfired as Luffy used the force of Lucci's hand to rotate his body, bringing his other hand to smash him in the face.

He didn't seem to notice how his injured hand flew back, almost reaching the other end of the alleyway, but he took advantage of it by pulling it back and delivering a powerful blow to the leopardman.

The walls of the area had been demolished so much that one could see the other side. Sadly, some people had been unable to escape the fight, and she could see some of their remains as the survivors cried in fear and anguish.

She had not expected Luffy to be fighting Lucci in his current state. It was obvious the man was hurt, as blood covered his body, but she knew it was also some of Lucci's.

Their fighting must have gone on for quite a while as they seemed exhausted. Robin felt the need to move in quick, before something dangerous happened.

And her fears started to become valid as Lucci brought his hands together, preparing to use a fearsome technique.

* * *

"Luffy! Move away!" Using "Soru" she was already moving towards the two, but she had taken too long.

Either he didn't hear her, he ignored her, or he couldn't stop moving, Luffy rushed in, raising a fist to punch the man in the face.

"Ultimate Radius: Six King Pistol!"

The impact was strong enough to shatter the wall behind Luffy, and the building started to come down as it continued through the building's supports.

He must have been desperate. That move wasn't used lightly due to the exhaustion after using it, but also because of the damage it could cause to the area.

Robin analyzed in the back of her mind, but she didn't give it another second of her time.

Her mind was racing at Luffy's condition as his hand, which used to be a fist, grabbed onto Lucci's face in pain.

His body hit the ground with a sickening thud, accompanied by the sound of him falling into a pool of his own blood. Luffy's hand tore away at the skin on Lucci's face, blinding him for a moment as he held it in pain.

Robin stood still as she reached Luffy. Absently, she noted that he bled more than a normal person could. That he needed medical attention, but she couldn't pick him up due to his internal injuries.

"Gah...!" Lucci opened an eye, "Gr..." He growled, noticing Robin standing before Luffy, "So, you're finally here? You're late. I already got the target. He put up a fight, but it won't be long before he passes."

His eyes were still open, and he blankly stared at her. His hand twitched as he tried to reach out to her.

She reached down, grasping his hand in hers.

A small smile formed on his face before he closed his eyes.

"Thirty Six Flower Cannon"

Lucci let out a gasp in surprise and pain as arms came out of his body, piercing his limbs to hold him up against the wall as three pairs of arms came out, aiming at his head, his heart, and his abdomen.

"What are you-!?"

An immense pressure was forced through his body, but left the wall behind him unharmed. The leopard man fell to the ground, but she had held back.

Before her eyes, her light was going to leave her life and throw her back in the darkness.

* * *

Shanks arrived with the others. They had checked the Going Merry, but found that it was burning to the ground. Whether it was the act of assassins, or the government had planned this while they had ambushed the three was unknown, but they searched far and long to find their friends.

They succeeded, but as they met Zoro, Nami, and Sanji, a figure cloaked in black and wearing a mask came out of the alleyway, a bloodied Luffy in their arms.

His friends called out his name and ran to him, but she went directly to Shanks, knowing that he could still save his life.

"Please..." She managed to plead as she presented his damaged body to the shocked "Red Haired" boss.

"...Save him."

* * *

**Alright, that's it! The end! It's been fun!**

**Jk, I'm not sure when I'm going to end it. Gah...I really hate endings.**

**Hope you enjoyed! I'm a little unsatisfied, but I wanted to update. At least, get it out of the way because I've been working on it for a few days.  
**

**As to the techniques name, I said "Cannon" instead of "Gun" for a reason. It's a lot stronger, I guess? Meh, whatever.**


End file.
